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Anthony Terrell Cannon is, in the words of the Prince George's County Police Department, "a threat to public safety."

On May 17, two days after he ended a two-year jail sentence for carjacking, Cannon and a partner allegedly stole an $800 car stereo in Hyattsville. Cannon was arrested and was given a $5,000 bail. He paid $510, the minimum required toward bail, and was released.

According to court records, Cannon, 20, of Washington, D.C., allegedly took part in a June 24 armed robbery at a Clinton dry cleaner while out on bail. The next day, he allegedly robbed a Temple Hills sandwich shop and carjacked a woman in Hyattsville. Cannon was caught in the stolen 2004 Porsche Cayenne after a high-speed chase July 3, according to police records, and is now in jail with a $175,000 bond. His court hearing is Aug. 7.

Police Chief Roberto Hylton said the way the courts handle cases like Cannon's only adds to the difficulties of policing.

"If there is no consequence, then you're enabling crooks and thieves," Hylton said at a news conference July 14. "That's the way it is. ... What is the rest of the system doing to reduce crime?"

Hylton expressed disappointment with the court system and prosecutors, stating they should do more to keep the county safe.

"We are arresting the right people," Hylton said. "But what happens to them [after]? That's a question that has to be asked."

Too often, Hylton said, criminals charged with a crime are allowed easily affordable bail, which only requires payment of about 10 percent of the required bond, or prosecutors and judges allow more lenient sentences than police would prefer.

"We've had people who've had 30 separate burglaries and before they can be locked up, they are put back on the streets," said Hylton, adding that police are taking the blame for other departments' failings. "I'm tired of the police being the punching bag."

Prosecutors were unable to provide figures on their conviction rates by press time. Calls for information on conviction rates from the Clerk of the Circuit Court were not returned.

Frank Denison, the assistant state's attorney who handled Cannon's 2006 case, declined a request to comment, referring questions to county State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey.

Ivey's office explained Tuesday in an e-mail that Cannon was a "lesser participant" in a carjacking ring for which he ended up serving two years, but that the main perpetrator received a sentence of 15 years, suspending all but eight years. The e-mail from Ramon V. Korionoff, communications director for Ivey, said "the judge had the prerogative of 30 years" in the main perpetrator's case.

"They were all held accountable for their wrongdoing," the e-mail states.

Ivey said he could not talk about the pending charges against Cannon, which his office will handle.

Cannon could not be reached for comment. No attorney was listed for him on pending court documents.

County crime rates are second only to Baltimore city in Maryland. In the first six months of 2009, police fielded more than 18,000 reports of crime, including 50 homicides, 1,199 assaults and more than 9,000 cases of theft. Overall crime is down so far this year in every category except burglary, which rose.

The county currently has a police force of about 1,600 officers that has been growing for the last five years. County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D) has said the department should have a force of at least 2,000 to handle the load.

A recent county audit shows the state's attorney's office has 145 full-time employees — about half the size of Baltimore city — and not all are prosecutors. With more than 10,000 cases moving through the court each year, assistant state's attorneys in Prince George's have individual caseloads that are the highest in the state.

High-ranking county prosecutors, who focus on homicide cases, each handle up to nine cases per year, when they should be handling five or six, the audit said. Lower-level attorneys responsible for prosecuting lesser felonies and misdemeanors have a caseload of 75 or more cases per year rather than the ideal 50 or 60, the audit states.

Police and prosecutors work well together on major cases, Ivey said. For years, prosecutors have worked alongside detectives on homicides and other major cases. But manpower limits cooperation on lesser crimes.

"We don't have enough lawyers," Ivey said.

Ivey, who has served as state's attorney since 2002, said his office is sometimes limited by judges, who allow bail or reduce sentences when prosecutors ask for more.

"There are definitely some judges who don't impose higher bail, I've been saying it for a long time," Ivey said. "It happens more frequently than I think appropriate."

Judge William D. Missouri, chief administrative judge for the county's circuit court, disputed reports that judges are lenient in the county.

"I understand the frustrations police may have. I'd challenge the chief to take a look at our record in the circuit court and then come back to me," Missouri said Monday. "I can tell you the man I sentenced to life without parole would not agree."

Missouri said he could not speak for the commissioner who set bail for Cannon in May.

"I can tell you that I wouldn't have done it," Missouri said.

But police and the public do not always understand the requirements of the job, he said. It costs roughly $1,000 per day to hold a person in jail, and he said judges are required to set bail except in extreme circumstances.

When it comes to sentences, judges follow state guidelines for sentencing based on the charge, Missouri said. But if prosecutors drop some charges, a judge cannot include them.

"I can only sentence someone on what they admit to or what the state can prosecute," he said.

Other judges in the county court system said prosecutors and police are often the weak link. One said most delays are requested by prosecutors and that getting police to appear in court has been a problem.

"The police and the state's attorney can't get it together," said one judge, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak for the court system

Hylton said there are cases where police "haven't dotted the i's and crossed the t's" but added that it is up to prosecutors to communicate more with him. He estimated that police errors may account for up to half of the releases, but said later that he was not sure of that estimate.

"I wish someone would reach out to me personally instead of going through the press," Hylton said of problems with prosecutors, noting recent articles about dropped cases. "If we're faltering, let us know."

Ivey said he did not know what cases Hylton was referring to.

"I had a meeting with the chief the Thursday before the press conference," Ivey said. "He didn't bring anything up."

The latest finger-pointing illustrates the limited communication in the county, said Vince Canales, president of the Fraternal Order of Police union for the county.

"There is a lack of a relationship between the police and the state's attorney," Canales said. "I think that's why we see a lot of breakdowns before trial. We're definitely not working well together, it appears."

Johnson, the former state's attorney, declined requests for comment.

Ivey said he thinks law enforcement officials should meet soon to discuss the concerns.

"I think we need a summit," said Ivey, who proposed meeting with Hylton, Johnson and judges. "I'd like to hear about specific cases. Let's sit down at a table and fix what we need to fix."

E-mail Daniel Valentine at dvalentine@gazette.net.