Friday, January 11, 2013
The Chevy Chase Village Police Department kicks off its 2013 Crime Prevention Campaign this weekend, and will be making door-to-door visits in the village on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
The Chevy Chase Village Police Department kicks off its 2013 Crime Prevention Campaign this weekend, and will be making door-to-door visits in the village on Saturday and Sunday afternoons "to deliver a brief crime prevention message with a one-page flier," the department reported on the village's website. "Crime in [Chevy Chase Village] continues to be very low in all categories save one: thefts from unlocked cars at night," police reported on the village's website. "We recorded 67 thefts in 2011 and 97 in 2012—that’s a 40 [percent] increase in a single year. We have arrested and successfully prosecuted several thieves this year, and while the pace of thefts has slowed since the arrests, they continue," the department's online message …
Friday, November 16, 2012
The Chevy Chase Village Board of Managers has had trouble filling the two spots left vacant after the resignation of two board members over new state disclosure requirements, The Gazette reported.
The Chevy Chase Village Board of Managers is still down two members since the resignation of Peter Kilborn and Thomas Jackson last month. Kilborn and Jackson resigned in advance of a state law about to take effect requiring members of municipal councils and boards—and their spouses—to disclose all real property interests, stocks and bonds, regardless of the properties', stocks' or bonds' connection to the village, Patch reported. A month has passed since their resignations, and the village is having trouble filling their spots, The Gazette reported. "Village leaders have put out a call for volunteers, but many have said they will not serve due to financial disclosure requirements, wrote Board Chair Patricia Baptiste in an email," The …
Friday, November 2, 2012
The state ethics law that led to the resignation of two board members in Chevy Chase Village will not go unchallenged at the next meeting of the state's General Assembly, The Gazette reported.
A new state ethics law that requires all of Maryland's elected officials to file lengthy documentation about their personal finances for public scrutiny will not go unchallenged in the next meeting of the state's General Assembly in Annapolis, The Gazette reported. State Senator Jamie Raskin, (D-District 20) of Takoma Park, will challenge the new law, from which many smaller municipalities have been exempted, but which poses a burden on the elected officials of non-exempted small municipalities, such as Chevy Chase Village. Two of Chevy Chase Village's board members—Peter Kilborn and Thomas Jackson—recently resigned in advance of the state law about to take effect requiring members of municipal councils and boards—and their spouses—to …
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
A new state law requiring "onerous" financial disclosure statements from members of municipal boards and councils has prompted two of Chevy Chase Village's board members to resign.
Of the seven board members for Chevy Chase Village, only five are left. Two—Peter Kilborn and Thomas Jackson—recently resigned in advance of a state law about to take effect requiring members of municipal councils and boards—and their spouses—to disclose all real property interests, stocks and bonds, regardless of the properties', stocks' or bonds' connection to the village. This type of disclosure is called 'strict compliance.' Previously, "the state required municipal officials to be [only] in 'substantial compliance' with the state ethics disclosure standard," The Gazette reported. The State Ethics Commission now requires these stricter disclosures for all state officials—from the governor to members of small municipal councils. Many …
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Chevy Chase Village tries a new tactic to combat its rising theft rate: a bait car.
Thieves accustomed to stopping by Chevy Chase Village for a few easy laptops and GPS units may want to rethink their strategies. With the village's new bait car program, they're much more likely to be caught. The new program was suggested by Chevy Chase Village Police Chief John Fitzgerald as a way to combat the village's rising theft rate. Get daily and breaking news email updates from Chevy Chase Patch by signing up for newsletters here. So far this year, 68 thefts have been recorded in the village (as of Oct. 2), according to a memo from Fitzgerald to the Chevy Chase Village Board of Managers. In the six years from 2002 to 2007, the average number of thefts in the village each year was only 25, the memo added. "If [this year's theft …
Friday, September 14, 2012
When it comes to requesting a pedestrian-activated crossing signal across Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase Village, the Village Board and traffic committee aren't deterred by the state highway administration's answer of "no."
Chevy Chase Village may be a small municipality, but it's not about to let the Maryland State Highway Administration walk all over its relatively tiny footprint. Many know Chevy Chase Village for its speed cameras installed on either side of Connecticut Avenue outside Chevy Chase Village Hall just a few blocks north of Chevy Chase Circle and the Maryland-Washington, DC, line. Get daily and breaking news email updates from Chevy Chase Patch by signing up for newsletters here. For many, Connecticut Avenue through Chevy Chase Village is a way to get out of the city—at 30 mph, of course, to avoid speeding fines. For others, Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase Village is a six-lane state highway that is frightening to cross. The Chevy Chase …
Thursday, September 13, 2012
The Chevy Chase Village Board of Managers approved the concept plan for a park to be created in the open space between Western Avenue and Grove Street.
While it's not ready yet for the "high-heel test"—the test to determine whether a person wearing high-heeled shoes can walk easily from one end of a park to the other—the open space between Western Avenue and Grove Street in Chevy Chase Village is one step closer to becoming a real park, with landscaping, paths and places to picnic, play and rest. The Chevy Chase Village Board of Managers approved the concept plan for the property at 5409 Grove St., which used to have a house on it and which was purchased by the county and the village (which paid 25 percent of the cost) in 2002 to become a public park. Features of the concept plan include: paths (one running diagonally across the property, from the northeast corner to the southwest corner…
Chevy Chase Village Police Chief John Fitzgerald likened leaving car doors unlocked to "leaving food in the campsite at Yellowstone."
Should police perform random checks to see if vehicle doors are locked? Chevy Chase Village board members and Chevy Chase Village Police Chief John Fitzgerald discussed the pros and cons of vehicle door checks at Monday night's village board of managers meeting. "I'm a little reluctant" to check to see if vehicle doors are locked, Fitzgerald said. Some vehicles' alarm systems go off if their door handles are pulled (those vehicles' owners use key fobs to open the doors), he added. And, some vehicle owners "still insist on leaving their cars unlocked because they'd rather have someone go through their car [via an unlocked door] than have a broken window," Fitzgerald added. "But there are so many cars unlocked that there's no reason to break…
Friday, August 10, 2012
Crime data helps Chevy Chase Village and Montgomery County police target nighttime coverage, resulting in arrest of two DC men.
Two men under surveillance were arrested early Wednesday, Aug. 8, in Chevy Chase Village for stealing a bicycle from a front porch on Grafton Street near Wisconsin Avenue. Officers from both the Chevy Chase Village Police Department and the Montgomery County Police Department were involved in the arrest. "As a direct result of the relatively high number of thefts from unlocked vehicles so far this year, we requested the assistance of [Montgomery] County Police [Department] resources," according to a statement released by the Chevy Chase Village Police Department. Village Public Safety Coordinator Jacqueline Parker "did a solid job analyzing our crime data, and we provided that analysis to both [Chevy Chase] Village and county officers so …
Thursday, August 9, 2012
The Maryland State Highway Administration says that a pedestrian-activated crossing signal across Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase Village is "not recommended at this time."
Crossing Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase Village by foot isn't likely to get easier any time soon. Although the Chevy Chase Village Board of Managers, the Chevy Chase Village Traffic Committee, residents and elected officials wrote to the Maryland State Highway Administration in support of installing a pedestrian-activated traffic signal (along with a marked crosswalk) at an intersection across Connecticut Avenue near Chevy Chase Village Hall, the SHA is not recommending a signal at this time, according to a letter (dated July 10) sent by the SHA to Chevy Chase Village Board of Managers Chair Patricia Baptiste. Instead, the SHA will install a new flashing pedestrian warning beacon on Connecticut Avenue. SHA conducted a study noting the …
Frank
2:07 pm on Thursday, November 22, 2012
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