More News

Bowie hires its first police chief

Former District Heights chief, state official to lead city’s department

Thursday, Aug. 24, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo Greg Dohler⁄The Star New Bowie Chief of Police Katherine Perez chats with fellow police chiefs John K. Nesky (left) of the District Heights Police Department and David G. Rice of the New Carrollton Police Department prior to a press conference announcing her appointment at Bowie City Hall on Monday.

During a press conference at City Hall Monday, the city announced its selection of Perez, 44, ending months of searching for a suitable candidate to head the fledgling force.

‘‘I consider this an honor and a privilege,” Perez said.

Perez is leaving her role as the director of a juvenile justice monitoring program to take up the position and said she wants to reach out to the city’s youth and direct them away from crime and the conditions she saw at juvenile detention centers.

Perez will begin her duties on Sept. 11 and will be ceremoniously sworn in the following Monday during the City Council meeting.

Perez said once the department is online, she expects crime numbers to rise only because more people will report criminal activity. In fact, it will be a sign that the department has been embraced because the residents are calling upon the city, Perez said.

‘‘There is a perception of crime in Bowie,” Perez said. ‘‘While there has been an increase, we need to get a hold of stats that reflect reality. We have to educate the public on what’s really going on.”

Perez said community involvement and community-oriented policing will be critical to the department’s success, including increased visibility, accountability and feedback from residents.

‘‘I want to work with the residents, business leaders and political figures,” Perez said. ‘‘Only when we work together can we reach our goals.”

City officials were pleased with her goal to have community involvement, given that the focus on the department will be beat-style patrolling and handling calls that the county police were too busy to respond to.

Perez said one of her immediate goals is to get the department a national accreditation, which would help recruitment and regional recognition. She also said much of the infrastructure, such as policy guides, forms and procedures will be hashed out in the coming weeks.

As for recruiting officers, which will be a difficult task considering the high demand in the region, Perez said aggressively recruiting younger officers and having the ‘‘resources to do the job” would draw the personnel needed.

‘‘Bowie has an awesome reputation,” Perez said. ‘‘People are going to want to be here.”

The selection

Perez was tabbed as Bowie’s first police chief after a month delay and much deliberation.

Of the over 200 applicants in two rounds of interviews, City Manager David Deutsch made the historic pick based on Perez’ experience. This included her past roles as a police captain in Connecticut, the chief for the District Heights police department and as the director of the Juvenile Justice Monitoring Unit of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office. Perez is also a resident of Bowie, moving to the city in 2004.

‘‘It was a combination of her extensive experience and her energy and enthusiasm,” Deutsch said.

Now with a chief in place, the city can finally move forward in the years-long process to build up its 50-plus officer police department and take over patrolling duties from the county.

The selection of Perez and her acceptance of the job brought relief to many city officials after the first attempt failed and became mired in controversy. The city initially chose Herndon, Va. Police Chief Toussaint Summers of the 120 candidates who first applied. But shortly after The Star first reported his name, Summers turned down the job for personal reasons.

Background

Perez was not one of the 120 applicants in the first round, but decided to throw her hat in after coaxing from city officials and support from her family of five children and her fiancé.

Though she found success working for the state’s attorney general, Perez said she missed police work, and could not turn down what many called a rarity in the police world – starting your own department.

‘‘I missed it terribly,” Perez said. ‘‘I missed being able to see result and effect change directly. [As a state official], I could report what went on, but I couldn’t change the conditions. Here, I’ll have more control and can make a direct difference.”

Perez began her career in 1983 as a patrol officer for the Hartford, Conn. Police Department. She was elevated to the rank of captain and led the Investigative Services and Support Services bureaus. Perez was also involved with the department’s youth services.

In 2004, Perez was hired as District Height’s police chief, and later moved to Bowie. As the District Heights chief, Perez overhauled the department by re-energizing the force and nearly doubling the number of officers from six to 11, District Heights officials said.

‘‘I thought she was a progressive-thinking chief,” said District Heights Mayor Joe Walls, who was a council member during Perez’ tenure. ‘‘She had a fresh perspective of policing on a municipal level. She was innovative in bringing grant money to put equipment in the police cars, and found alternative programs that did not take money out of the budget.”

According to the Uniform Crime Report released by the Maryland State Police earlier this year, District Heights saw a 31 percent increase in its crime between 2004 and 2005, with a notable spike in car theft. However, car theft is a countywide problem, as Bowie saw a jump in its numbers as well.

John Nesky, then Perez’ second-in-command and now the city’s chief, said while the crime rate increased, the number of arrests and citations went up as well. He credited her for persuading the city council to increase the force and improving the department. In January, Perez became director of the Juvenile Justice Monitoring Unit, a program that oversees practices at juvenile detention centers and investigates claims of abuse.

She helped expose abuses at the centers, including a case where a male staff member allegedly abused a pregnant female youth at a Laurel center. According to a report from the state’s attorney general’s office, Perez and a monitor witnessed staff members of the Thomas J. S. Waxter Children’s Center restrain and strike the youth. Perez also found the investigation was flawed, with key witnesses not interviewed and major facts overlooked.

Reaction

City officials were pleased with their second selection, calling Perez a ‘‘straight shooter” who is direct and too the point and already active in the Bowie community.

‘‘So far, she seems impressive,” said Leonard Lucchi, former chairman of the now defunct Citizens for Bowie Police. ‘‘She’s highly respected by her peers, which is a good sign. I hope she fulfills her desire to have the community involved.”

New Carrollton Police Chief David Rice, a friend of Perez and a Bowie resident, said his colleague will provide the local police feel to the department. Rice knows the tough job Perez faces – Rice is New Carrollton’s first chief.

‘‘She’s very community-oriented,” Rice said. ‘‘I have a feeling everyone who works there will be just as community-oriented as she is. Bowie could not have picked a better person.”

Bowie mayor G. Frederick Robinson echoed the comments of the other officials saying that he was confident that she will be up to the challenge. ‘‘I’m proud and pleased with the selection, and we have great expectations of her,” Robinson said.

Perez will have a temporary workstation in City Hall, as officials look to move Youth Service Bureau out of the building and make an interim office until a study returns in two months looking at the feasibility of building a new City Hall and⁄or police station.

The new chief said she is excited about the daunting task ahead, and looks forward to building one of the largest police forces in the county.

Said Perez: ‘‘I will not let you down.”

Email Jason Flanagan at jflanagan@gazette.net.