Subscribe
CommunityPrince George’s crime drop fails to impress
Residents of southern county urge more action
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
|
|
E-Mail This Article
Despite a drop in the number of carjackings and auto thefts in southern Prince George’s County during the past two years, residents say the numbers are still too high.
In 2005, there were 188 carjackings in police District 4, which includes Temple Hills, Camp Springs, Oxon Hill, Fort Washington, Suitland and Accokeek. That number fell to 103 in 2006 and remained roughly the same — 106 — in 2007, police spokeswoman Cpl. Diane Richardson said. There were 2,664 auto thefts in 2006; that number dropped to 2,578 in 2007, police statistics show.
‘‘I’m not shocked that it’s that many,” said Felicia Durham, of Temple Hills. ‘‘Temple Hills, Camp Springs, Oxon Hill – those areas can be pretty rough.”
Teena Green, a Camp Springs resident, said while there were not many auto thefts in her neighborhood; she would welcome increased police patrols. And Camp Springs resident Tanya Hill, a member of the District 4 Citizens Advisory Council, said the car theft problem is bad along the Branch Avenue corridor.
District 4, which borders Charles County, is Prince George’s largest police district. The 74-square-mile district has a population of more than 141,500 people.
