Prince George’s police staffing woes deepen

Friday, Sept. 30, 2005

Two of the four top-ranking commanders in the Prince George’s County Police Department may be leaving, with a third rumored to be departing.

Lt. Col. Jeffrey Cox, who oversees patrol officers, told The Gazette that he will resign in the next couple months. Cox, 41, who marked 20 years on the force earlier this year, said his leaving is not linked to any dissatisfaction with the department. He would not say why he was leaving and when pressed for reasons, he said he could not comment further.

Lt. Col. Roberto Hylton, 48, head of the investigations unit, is also planning to leave. However, after receiving several telephone calls about his departure, Hylton said he is reconsidering.

‘‘Hopefully, I will have my mind made up sometime tomorrow,” Hylton said Thursday.

Assistant Chief William Tucker is also rumored to be leaving. He joined the department as a contract employee when Melvin C. High was appointed chief in May 2003.

Police would not allow The Gazette to talk to Tucker, High or any other police official.

‘‘There’s nothing official from the department, so we’re not going to make him available to you,” said Barbara Hamm, police department spokeswoman.

Hamm would neither confirm nor deny any staff changes.

The fourth member of the top staff, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Norris, who oversees the Bureau of Support Services, has been in his job for only a few months.

County police officers said the departures may stem from a Sept. 27 meeting in which the command staff were blamed for the county’s ongoing crime problems.

There have been 128 homicides in the county as of Thursday, compared to 109 at the same time last year.

High has been under intense criticism for the high crime rate, staffing shortages and the Community Service Area policing strategy he implemented soon after being hired.

Officers have complained that the strategy is ineffective, in part because of the department’s current staffing level. The police union called for an overhaul of the CSA program in July.

High, with his boss, County Executive Jack B. Johnson (D), by his side, countered the criticism in July, saying that the blame for the high crime rate rests with 10 percent of the police force not pulling their weight in arrests, traffic investigations and answering calls for service.

The county executive’s office told The Gazette it did not know of any resignations.

‘‘If it’s true, we will sorely miss Lieutenant Colonel Cox,” said Percy Alston, president of the police union. ‘‘He has been a pillar of stability inside of an agency that’s been through many changes in the past few years.”