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44-398: The Gaithersburg Police Department was founded on April 1, 1963, when a resolution creating it was signed into law by the mayor of the city at the time, Merton F. Duvall. The town budget for fiscal year 1964 included "police protection" salaries for the solitary officer amounting to $ 4,000 (equivalent to $ 39296 today), and equipment purchases of $ 500 (equivalent to $ 4912 today). It was under

88-448: A "double-dipping" probe. The accused officers were alleged to have improperly billed Grady Management, a Silver Spring real estate firm, for more than 8,900 hours for which they also were compensated by the police. The accused improperly earned more than $ 200,000. Each officer involved in the scheme were either fired, resigned, forced to retire or otherwise disciplined depending on their individual involvement. From its founding until 2008,

132-528: A few. David Marstiller was the first Chief of Police, although there are references to a "Town Marshall" in the minutes of Town Council Meetings prior to 1963. Over the years, there would be several chiefs of police; James Tassie, formerly of the Rockville City Police Department; Marson Johnson, who had been an officer in Michigan; John F. DeVries and George Fusco, both of whom had retired from

176-574: A move which angered the local chapter of the NAACP . Edwards was succeeded by interim MCPD chief Carol A. Mehrling, who joined the MCPD on March 29, 1971. On February 2, 1995, Mehrling was chosen by Duncan to be the MCPD's fourteenth chief, becoming the department's first female chief. The MCPD was, at the time, the second-largest police department in the United States to be headed by a woman. On February 17, 1997,

220-621: The National Register of Historic Places in Rockville, Maryland . The two-block district is focused on what remains of Rockville's old commercial, governmental, and residential center, most of which was demolished during urban renewal in the 1960s. The district includes the Romanesque Revival -style Red Brick Courthouse, designed by prominent Baltimore architect Frank E. Davis and built in 1891. Located at 29 Courthouse Square, it houses

264-790: The Potomac River . Established in July 1922, the MCPD is headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland , and in addition to its primary duties, it also provides aid and assistance to other police departments including the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia , and in neighboring jurisdictions such as the District of Columbia , Howard County , Baltimore City , and Prince George's County as requested by authority. The MCPD

308-715: The Register of Wills , the Orphans' Court , and the State's Attorney for Montgomery County. There have been four courthouses in Rockville since it was established as the county seat in 1776. Court was held at the Hungerford Tavern until a frame courthouse was erected in the 1790s. In 1835, the General Assembly funded a new brick courthouse. In 1890, the legislature approved funding for

352-512: The county seat of Rockville until the early 2010s. The Office of the Chief is responsible for the day-to-day activities of the MCP. This section also contains Community Services, Internal Affairs, Legal and Labor, Media Services, and Stress Management. The current chief of police is long-time MCP officer Marc Yamada, who was sworn in on July 2, 2024. He was preceded in office by Marcus Jones, who had held

396-465: The Baltimorean police. In December 2015, an MCP officer was struck and killed in Rockville by an automobile being driven by an inebriated person. That officer, Noah Leotta, was working a DUI enforcement assignment at the time. Maryland legislature later passed Noah's Law which provides enhanced penalties for persons arrested for driving under the influence. In April 2019, J. Thomas Manger retired as

440-517: The Constitution, federal and state laws, and department policy. The only exception is when an on duty MCP officer shot and wounded a romantic rival in the Wheaton area. The MCP and the state's attorney's office have a long-standing practice of investigating, prosecuting and terminating corrupt MCP officers, although it is a very uncommon occurrence within MCP compared to other large police departments across

484-596: The K-9 Unit, Emergency Services Unit, Police Community Action Team, Special Events Response Team, and Tactical Unit. The Investigative Services Bureau is responsible for providing specialized police services such as (but not limited to) the following: Criminal Investigations Division (CID), Auto Theft, Fraud, Family Crimes, Major Crimes, and Special Investigations Division. Montgomery County Circuit Courthouses The Montgomery County Courthouse Historic District, designated in 1986, includes several buildings listed on

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528-404: The MCP played a major role in the ensuing investigation. In June 2003, Moose resigned amid controversy over a book he helped author alongside Charles Fleming , that detailed Moose's experiences during the D.C. sniper attacks. The county government objected in stating that the MCPD chief was not allowed to profit privately from official duties; the book itself was released on September 15, 2003. In

572-400: The MCP's chief of police. He was succeeded by Marcus Jones a few months later. On March 26, 2021 the department released January 14, 2020 body camera footage showing two officers screaming at and handcuffing a five-year-old special needs child in crisis at Silver Spring and threatening that he should be beaten, and confirmed that the officers remained employed. In January 2021, members of

616-692: The MCPD and did so on February 3, 1999, with Thomas Evans becoming the acting chief. Throughout much of the 1990s, the MCPD faced numerous allegations of abuse, excessive force, and misconduct, including fatal officer-involved shootings in Wheaton and Silver Spring in April 1999 and March 1999, respectively. These accusations resulted in the U.S. Justice Department investigating the department for three years. Although there had been certain public scrutiny about specific police shootings involving MCP officers, it has been determined that they were all justified under

660-401: The MCPD grew from 35 policemen to 177 policemen. By 1955, the MCPD had grown to have 177 policemen. In April 1955, James Stephen McAuliffe Sr. became the MCPD's chief. He was the 11th policeman ever hired by the MCPD. Over the course of several decades, the MCPD would eventually grow to over a thousand officers. In 1971, Kenneth Winstead Watkins became the MCPD's chief. Serving with

704-612: The MCPD had 20 policemen. In 1931, the MCPD had 27 policemen, and by 1939, the MCPD had 35 policemen. From 1927 to 1954, the MCPD was headquartered at the lower level of the Montgomery County Courthouse . In February 1939, Charles M. Orme became the MCPD's chief. He fought as a soldier in World War I and previous served in the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office as a deputy from 1925 to 1939. Under his tenure

748-487: The MCPD was headquartered at 2350 Research Boulevard in the county seat of Rockville . In 2012, the MCPD moved its headquarters from Rockville, where it had been headquartered for forty years, to the Montgomery County Public Safety Headquarters, located at 100 Edison Park Drive in Gaithersburg, Maryland , located around four miles from the former MCPD headquarters. The process of transferring

792-564: The MCPD was to address and correct the misconduct and abuses committed by its officers. On March 12, 2002, John A. King, on Moose's recommendation, was unanimously approved as the MCPD's assistant chief by the county council, after Alan G. Rodbell retired on December 23, 2001, to fill a law enforcement job position in Arizonan city of Scottsdale . In October 2002, several of the D.C. sniper attacks occurred in Montgomery County. Moose and

836-671: The MCPD wore khaki-colored uniforms. However, in 2008, the MCPD switched to its current black-colored uniforms. These uniforms are usually worn with a ballistic vest on top of the uniform's shirt, with the word "POLICE" embroidered onto the back. However, formal uniforms for ceremonial occasions are still khaki and olive-colored. In 2010, the MCPD shot and killed an armed hostage-taker at the Discovery Communications building in Silver Spring after he attempted to chase after his hostages when they attempted to flee. An MCP officer that

880-460: The MCPD's SERT unit were present at the U.S. Capitol during the riot there by supporters of outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump. The MCPD is divided into four bureaus and the Office of the Chief. The MCPD is headquartered at the J. Thomas Manger Public Safety Headquarters at 100 Edison Park Drive, Gaithersburg, Maryland , near Lake Placid. It was formerly headquartered at 2350 Research Boulevard in

924-452: The MCPD's acting chief. By the 1980s, the MCPD had 750 officers, and by September 1991 it had 849 officers. In March 1981, MCPD policeman Philip Carl Metz was shot and killed while confronting a gang of armed robbers at a Silver Spring business.Security guard David Myers was also killed by the robbers. On September 24, 1991, Clarence Edwards became the chief of the MCPD, becoming the department's first African American chief as well as

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968-600: The MCPD's assistant chief previously; he himself retired from the MCPD on August 1, 2006. On January 30, 2004, J. Thomas Manger , a former officer of the Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD), became the sixteenth MCPD chief. Manger is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and served as the FCPD's acting chief before becoming its chief. On October 5, 2007, ten MCPD officers were charged in

1012-556: The MCPD's headquarters to its new location took around two years at a cost of 108.5 million dollars. The remodeling and moving phases took an extended period of time due to the legal requirements of housing a police district station along with administrative offices in the same building. The MCPD shares the building with other county agencies, such as the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service (MCFRS) and Montgomery County Office of Homeland Security. The MCP's 1st District station

1056-610: The MCPD's ranks to serve as its chief. In 1935, through Chapter 9 of the Acts of 1935, the regulations were changed so that the chief could be appointed from any source, at the discretion of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. In 1948, when Montgomery County transitioned to a charter government, the responsibilities of appointing chiefs for the MCPD was transferred to the Montgomery County Executive. In 1927,

1100-563: The Montgomery County Police Department as lieutenants. Montgomery County Police Department The Montgomery County Police Department ( MCPD ), officially the Montgomery County Department of Police ( MCP ), is a nationally accredited agency and the primary law enforcement agency of Montgomery County, Maryland , providing the full spectrum of policing services to the entire county, including

1144-486: The United States. On August 2, 1999, Charles A. Moose became the fifteenth MCP chief, during a time when the MCP was nearing the end of a three-year-long U.S. Department of Justice investigation into allegations of misconduct and abuse committed by its officers. Moose was a U.S. Air Force commissioned officer and was the former chief of the Portland Bureau of Police . By the end of 1999, crime in Montgomery County

1188-636: The administration of Chief DeVries that the Gaithersburg city police began to operate under its current system of dispatch through the Montgomery County Police Department . As a former Montgomery County Police lieutenant, DeVries was in a position to work with the County Police in a way that had previously not been possible. The Gaithersburg Police Department grew from an authorized strength of three sworn officers and one civilian clerk in

1232-498: The aftermath, Moose eventually became a police officer in Honolulu, Hawaii. During the sniper case, he was frequently criticized for his lack of public speaking abilities during interviews with the news media. After resigning as the MCPD's chief in June 2003, Moose was succeeded by William C. "Bill" O'Toole, who served as the MCPD's acting chief until a new chief could be found. O'Toole was

1276-634: The corner of Maryland Avenue and Jefferson Street (Rte 28) in downtown Rockville. Other buildings in the cluster include Rockville City Hall, the District Court of Maryland for Montgomery County , and the Montgomery County Judicial Center, a Brutalist building constructed in the 1980s at 50 Maryland Avenue, which houses the rest of Montgomery County's Circuit Court, the Offices of the Sheriff,

1320-504: The county executive in December 1978. Donald E. Brooks became the MCPD's acting chief after DiGrazia was dismissed. In 1979, a computerized fingerprinting system was installed for use by the MCPD. In April 1979, Bernard Crooke, a former MPDC officer, became the MCPD's chief. He would serve in that capacity before dying in office in February 1988. After Crooke died, Donald E. Brooks became

1364-414: The department since 1946, he was the last policeman to serve as the MCPD's head when it was still known as "superintendent". After his retirement, the title of the MCPD's head policeman was changed to "chief". On March 29, 1971, Carol A. Mehrling joined the MCPD as its first female police officer. She would eventually become its first female police chief in 1995, more than two decades later. In 1976,

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1408-523: The early 1970s, when the city's population was 7,000, to its current complement of 57 sworn officers and nine civilians. The majority of that growth occurred from 1986 to 1998 under the direction of then-chief Mary Ann Viverette. In 1983, the GPD formed a traffic unit. Viverette was the GPD's chief from 1986 until her retirement in May 2007. John King succeeded Viverette and served until 2010. The GPD currently falls under

1452-579: The first African American chief of a Maryland county-level police department. He was a former U.S. Park Police (USPP) officer for 21 years and had joined the USPP in September 1963. He also served in the Maryland-National Capital Park Police . However, in December 1994, Edwards was relieved of his position by Montgomery County Executive Douglas Duncan , who had taken office that same month,

1496-537: The leadership of Mark P. Sroka. From 1971 to 1990, the Gaithersburg Police Department only hired officers who had former experience as police officers. The majority of the Gaithersburg's police officers have come from other agencies. The experience of these officers comes from agencies such as Montgomery County, Washington, D.C., United States Secret Service, Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, Maryland National Capital Police, and Baltimore City, to name

1540-641: The local Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) body voted overwhelmingly in passing a resolution of no confidence in Mehrling's abilities as chief, claiming that she was not doing enough to defend MCPD officers against accusations of misconduct and abuse by the NAACP. As a result of these allegations, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) launched an investigation into the operations of the MCPD. On November 17, 1998, Mehrling announced that she would retire from

1584-521: The office since November 8, 2019. He is the MCPD's 17th chief. In 2019, the public safety headquarters was renamed honoring former Chief J. Thomas Manger. Until 1976, the MCP's head policeman was known as its "superintendent", after which it was changed to its present title of "chief". The Field Services Bureau contains the general policing districts and the Special Operations Division. The Special Operations Division (SOD), consists of

1628-457: The refurbished Grand Courtroom of Montgomery County Circuit Court . The district also includes the 1931 Neoclassical -style Grey Courthouse and its 1960s addition; the 1939 Georgian -styled post office of limestone construction; and the 1930 Art Deco stone building built for the Farmers Banking and Trust Company. The courthouses are part of a cluster of municipal and county buildings at

1672-414: The title of the head of the MCPD was changed from superintendent to chief. Also that same year, Robert DiGrazia , a former Boston Police Commissioner, became the MCPD's chief, intending to brings new changes to the department. However, he became unpopular with many officers in the department as they believed he was too sharply critical and demanding of them. As a result, he was removed from his position by

1716-507: Was Charles T. "Chas" Cooley, who was from Frederick County, Maryland and served as a soldier in the Spanish–;American War . In July 1924, William L. Aud became the MCPD's chief. He was the Sheriff of Montgomery County from 1917 to 1919. In 1927, the department was enlarged to twenty officers by Chapter 299 of the Acts of 1927. From 1922 until 1935, the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners designated one police officer from within

1760-538: Was also consolidated into this new headquarters. The building which houses the headquarters, located near Lake Placid, was built in the 1960s and was originally used by the National Geographic Society , and later by General Electric (GE). The building was leased to the county government before a purchase date of 2014 was finalized. Since the building officially opened as the county public safety HQ, at least two incidents have occurred (a small explosive device

1804-478: Was detonated, and a separate incident of an entranceway glass door being shattered). The county is seeking ways to improve security at the location. On the evening of January 30, 2014, an MCPD officer shot and killed his son at their home in Gaithersburg as the latter was stabbing the officer's wife, who later died. In early 2015, during the riots in Baltimore , the MCPD dispatched a Lenco BearCat to assist

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1848-466: Was established in early July 1922, absorbing some responsibilities from the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) through Chapter 259 of the Acts of 1922. At the time, the department was designated to consist of three to six officers that were appointed to two-year terms by the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, with one officer designated as the chief. The first chief of the MCPD

1892-420: Was in the area of the building at the time was awarded for his actions for placing himself inside of the building, communicating with on duty officers and saving multiple lives. The MCPD's total number of personnel declined from 2010 to 2012 due to the recession and budget county problems. In 2010, the MCPD had an authorized strength of 1,200 sworn officers, but by January 2012 it only had 1,159. Until 2012,

1936-406: Was lower than at the start of the decade, with total violent crime down 16 percent, rapes down 23 percent, robberies down 8 percent, aggravated assaults down 19 percent, and overall crime down 9 percent. On January 14, 2000, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed between the U.S. Department of Justice and the MCP regarding abuses and misconduct committed by the latter. The agreement detailed how

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