EXTRA POLICE

PATROL WESTBARD

AFTER ARMED

ROBBERY

Another Robert Dyer @ Bethesda Row Exclusive!!!

Word had it that additional officers would be on patrol in the Westbard area after last week's brazen 9:00 PM armed robbery in the Park Bethesda parking lot.

Last evening, two county police cruisers were conspicuously present, a relief to concerned residents. Most I have spoken to are alarmed at the recent robberies in West Bethesda, but still feel the area is safe.

Certainly, the increased presence of police is going to give potential robbers second thoughts about operating in the area. It's also important to remember, as an officer once said at a community meeting, "just because you don't see the police doesn't mean we're not patroling the neighborhood." Sometimes, she said, they may use undercover officers.

Although last week's robbery was a negative for the victim, three positives have come out of this crime incident:

1. Bethesda residents are more aware of personal safety and more likely to note and report suspicious activity.

2. What Montgomery County Police Chief Thomas Manger and rank and file officers and supervisors have been saying for a long time is finally being publicly recognized: the county needs more officers and more funds for the police budget.

Police officers and firefighters are also overdue for raises and step increases. With the county council proposing to spend millions on a biotech venture and tens of millions on yet another developer tax cut, it's clear that they have money for our public safety budgets and employees.

Compared to those sums, and the $2.5 billion BRT proposal, new officers can be hired starting around $50,000 apiece salarywise.

3. It's clear that area residents should organize now regarding the Crown Street trail proposal. As Barney Fife would say, it's time to "nip it in the bud." One man's CCT access is another man's getaway route. This surprisingly dangerous proposal by the Montgomery County Planning Board and the Citizens Coordinating Committee on Friendship Heights is a non-starter. It would make it even easier for criminals to prey on residents of the Park Bethesda and Westwood Mews townhomes. That's one idea that should be canned yesterday.

No word yet of any arrests in the Westbard cases, but it's clear that citizen concerns are on the police department's radar at the moment.