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Welcome to the Forest Heights Police Department web
site. This site is designed to provide
you with insight into the public safety of the Town of Forest Heights and
provide you with a variety of resources to work closely with the police
in community service with integrity.
Our sworn and civilian staffs provide a variety of
services to the members of our community and the surrounding area to
promote public safety, information sharing and overall community
development. We achieve this
through an integrated approach that involves combined efforts of public
works, health and welfare, beautification, community awareness and law
enforcement. Our success is
contingent on community involvement.
As you browse our site we encourage you to take an
approach of involvement, whereas your insight and contributions could be
the missing piece that saves a life.
Thank you for your interest in the Forest Heights
Police Department and please visit our site regularly for updates.
Remember to visit the Official Website of the Town of
Forest Heights.
The Police Department link on
the Town’s website is www.forestheightsmd.gov/police.
NEWS AND INFORMATION
1/12/2011 –
Public Safety Tips When Pulled Over by the Police
To address
concerns of public safety the Chief Webb has issued a news release which
contains tips for responding to a police vehicle approaching you with
lights and sirens. Citizens can be
assured that the FHPD takes personal safety very seriously and that
events that cause concern about police integrity are as important to the
Chief as they are to any citizen.
The Forest
Heights Police Department utilizes marked and unmarked police vehicles to
accomplish its mission and citizens are required by law to yield to an
emergency vehicle with lights and audible siren. Following a few simple steps can help
to increase an individual’s safety while displaying their intent to
comply with an officer’s traffic enforcement authority.
Please see
the news release on the Public Information
page.
1/3/2011 –
FHPD Shows Improvement in 2010, Hopes for a Prosperous 2011
After a solid
year of hard work and concentrated crime prevention and enforcement
efforts the Forest Heights Police Department marked substantial
improvements in 2010 from the previous year. Crime rate changes from 2009-2010
appear to indicate an overall decrease in crime in Prince George’s
County, and Forest Heights Police officers we able to nearly triple
criminal arrests they made in 2010.
Additionally,
the Police Department started the Neighborhood Watch Program, activated
the “Get Home Safe” initiative, and even launched this very website in
2010. It was, indeed, a year of
vast improvements for the FHPD in both technological advances as well as
crime prevention & enforcement achievements. Excellent leadership and ambitious
ground-level efforts have given momentum to the organization and it has
been sustained by a supportive community that cares and consistently
stays involved.
The year 2011
holds equally exciting promise as additional crime prevention resources
are deployed and increased Public Safety funds make more programs
available. Citizens are encouraged
to continue involvement and the great communication that has been shared
with the Forest Heights Police Department and join in enjoying the coming
success of the community that FHPD serves.
12/1/2010 –
Online Citation Payments Made Simpler
As a
reminder, all citations issued by Forest Heights Police can be paid
online based on the type of citation:
If you are
stopped by the police and issued a Maryland State Uniform Citation you
can pay online to the District Court of
Maryland (external
link).
If your
parked vehicle was issued a Forest Heights Parking Violation Notice you
can pay online at the Town of
Forest Heights Payment Center.
If you
received a Speed Monitoring System (SMS) Citation you can pay online at
the SMS
Payment Center (external
link).
Please
carefully pay attention to the type of citation you have received and
follow the instructions on the citation BEFORE attempting to make
an online payment. Using the
online payment option for the incorrect type of citation could result in
the citation being not credited and adverse actions being taken as if the
violation was never satisfied.
Please read your citation carefully.
Visit the Services page for more information regarding
citations.
10/26/2010 – Police Attribute Rash
of Vandalisms to Dark Areas within Town
Police responded to three
consecutive vandalisms of automobiles within 20 minutes; all incidents
shared three characteristics: (1) a brick was thrown at (or into) the
window of all of the vehicles, (2) the three vehicles were parked in
front of residences that did not have porch lights on, and (3) adjacent
street lights were either out or very dim.
Residents are encouraged to
contact the Administrative Office or Forest Heights Public Works at (301)
839-1030 to report street light outages or to request new high
illumination street lights replace the old dimmer lights. It is also considerably helpful to have
your porch lights on at night, both in the front and rear of your residence. Many residents are able to save on
their electric bill by installing motion sensor lights, which will
provide the lighting that helps to deter crime and turn off your lights
when they are not needed.
Councilwoman Reifsneider has
been heading a Weatherization Program that helps to prepare a residence
for seasonal changes and save money on their energy bill. Please contact the Police Department’s
Office of Community Resources for more information on improving the
security posture of your residence at (301) 839-4040 ext. 242.
9/21/2010 – Man arrested for
Attempted Murder
On September 20, 2010 shortly
after 9:00 p.m. Forest Heights Police responded to a fight on Miles
Drive. Shortly after the arrival
of the first officer the scene erupts in gunshots from an AK-47 rifle,
firing at the officer and the caller.
As additional Forest Heights and County Police officers respond to
the scene a perimeter is established around the area. A short time later two men were apprehended
and interviewed, but both were released when Police could not ascertain a
good description of the shooter.
It was soon discovered that
one of the men who was stopped was the shooter. Forest Heights Police immediately
received an arrest warrant and, some 12 hours after the issuance of the
warrant, the suspect was arrested by the very same Forest Heights Police
officer that he fired upon. Patrol
Commander Lieutenant C.J. Washington, Sr. commented “We are very grateful
that there were no injuries in this very dangerous incident. Great combined efforts from County
Police investigators and Forest Heights patrol units contributed to a
quick arrest.”
The suspect, Bruce Timothy
Shelton, 51, was charged with two counts of Attempted 1st
Degree Murder, Assault on a Police Officer and multiple other
charges. Shelton could be facing
up to life in prison for the attempted murder charges alone.
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