Hyattsville shooting prompts questions on crime prevention

Shooting comes in midst of city’s discussion of security cameras

Hyattsville resident Diane Vance said she had been to the store about eight times in the past few months because she had been having issues with her cell phone.

‘‘[The victim] was such a really nice guy. He was so laid back. Every time I went into the store he always told me ... that he just wanted to make sure I was happy [with my cell phone service],” she said. ‘‘I can’t imagine that if he was getting robbed or something that he wouldn’t have just [cooperated]...But we don’t really know what happened.”

The shooting occurred three days after the City Council voted against legislation that would have increased the police force by eight officers. The legislation only received two votes from the 10-member council.

Councilman Anthony Patterson (Ward 3) said while he believes the number of police officers should increase at some point, he voted against the motion because he felt it didn’t have sufficient input from city staff members, specifically Police Chief Douglas Holland.

‘‘Chief Holland said that we do need more officers ... xbut I think it needs to be done in a more strategic way,” Patterson said. ‘‘I think that we can work together and come up with a motion that we all can agree on.”

The shooting also occurred a little more than a week after representatives from Unisys Corp., an information technology consulting service, suggested 38 locations for 46 video surveillance cameras throughout the city. Many of the suggested locations were along the city’s three commercial corridors, Route 1, East West Highway and Hamilton Street.

However, Holland said the cameras may not have been any help in regards to this incident.

‘‘Without having a motive or suspect at this time, it is hard to speculate whether [surveillance cameras] could have had any impact on the prevention or resolution of this crime,” he said.

The cameras will begin the technology portion of the Safe City Project, a program initiated by retail giant Target Corp., which has a store in Hyattsville. The program is designed to reduce crime in communities through public-private partnerships and technology.

Jim Groves, the moderator for the Hyattsville Organization for a Positive Environment list serve, has seen e-mail discussion between residents who are uncomfortable with the idea of surveillance cameras in the city.

‘‘I’ve already talked to people on my street and everyone has said, ‘Yeah, we’d like a camera shooting up and down our street,’” he said. ‘‘[With the cameras] police can say, ‘Hey, we didn’t catch them in the act, but here’s what they look like.’”

But Vance said increasing the police force is a more proactive way of deterring crime, as opposed to surveillance cameras, which she feels serve in a more reactive way.

‘‘My feeling is surveillance cameras don’t prevent crime, they help identify someone who committed a crime. I think community police is much more [effective],” she said.

Despite some crime in the city, residents don’t feel particularly concerned for their safety.

‘‘I would say that I don’t feel any less safe in this city...Statistically, crime rates are down,” Groves said.

According to semi-annual crime data, Hyattsville had 47 citizen robberies, 56 assaults, 26 instances of breaking and entering of commercial properties and five commercial robberies during the first six months of 2007.

Patterson agreed that while the city’s crime statistics are relatively low, officials should not become complacent.

‘‘I don’t think a place can ever be completely safe,” he said.

Groves said he is aware that different criminal activities happen in Hyattsville, but it comes with the territory of living in an urban area.

‘‘You live inside the Beltway and close to a major city, you can’t expect cornfield [type of] crime,” he said.

Hyattsville city police responded to the store for the report of an unconscious man, and found him suffering from a gunshot wound. County police assumed the investigation after the man died. A motive has not been established.

Anyone with information about the case should call the county police department’s homicide unit at 301-772-4925. Callers wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Solvers at 866-411-8477.

Staff Writer Meredith Hooker contributed to this story.

E-mail Maya T. Prabhu at mprabhu@gazette.net.