College Park police, contract officers report July–August crime trends and active investigations

At a City of College Park public-safety meeting, law enforcement and contract officers reviewed July and August crime statistics and described ongoing investigations and enforcement activity.

Police and contract officers reported a pattern of thefts concentrated along the Baltimore Avenue corridor and said investigators arrested at least one suspect in a July robbery. "During the month of July, we had 1 citizen robbery. We had 1 carjacking," ADC Caletti said while presenting monthly slides. Officers also reported four assaults, multiple burglaries, and vehicle thefts in July.

The report matters, officials said, because it points to recurring trends that affect residents and businesses along Baltimore Avenue and nearby neighborhoods.

Officers gave a month-by-month accounting. For July they reported: 1 citizen robbery, 1 carjacking, 4 assaults, 2 commercial burglaries, 3 residential burglaries, 12 thefts from autos, 18 other thefts and 8 stolen vehicles. In their August summary they reported: 1 citizen robbery, 2 assaults, 1 commercial burglary, 1 residential burglary, 10 thefts from autos, 13 other thefts and 4 stolen vehicles.

Officials said several incidents were notable. The armed carjacking reported in July occurred in the 9700 block of 50th Avenue; the victims complied and the suspect fled in the stolen vehicle, which later crashed in the 6300 block of Greenbelt Road, ADC Caletti said. That case remains an active investigation. Officers also said a separate citizen robbery in July — in the 7500 block of Columbia Avenue — resulted in an arrest after a patrol officer located a suspect on scene.

The presenters described patterns within auto thefts: "Out of the 12 incidents that we had [in July], three of them, tires and rims were stolen off the vehicle, and all four others, their airbags were stolen from the vehicle," ADC Caletti said, noting the airbags-and-rims trend mirrors a wider trend in the DMV region.

Shoplifting and burglaries also factored into the monthly totals. In July police recorded 16 shoplifting incidents, including eight at a CVS in the 8300 block of Baltimore Avenue and several at other commercial addresses. Commercial burglaries reported in July included incidents at Milk and Honey Cafe, 10280 Baltimore Avenue, and at Mister Smoke in the 7300 block of Baltimore Avenue; those commercial cases remain under investigation, officials said.

University of Maryland Police Department officials and contract officers described coordination with city police. "We have been staffing Knox and Baltimore Avenue on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights," Mike Ledbetter of the University of Maryland Police Department said, noting knock-and-talk operations and joint patrols aimed at reducing student-related disorder and large gatherings.

Contract officers also reported enforcement totals: in July they issued citations and warnings for loud exhaust violations, scooter violations, and other quality-of-life citations; during the period they made multiple arrests and documented field interviews, the report said.

Officials repeatedly emphasized that many investigations remain active. "This is still an active investigation," ADC Caletti said regarding several commercial burglary cases.

The meeting closed the crime update by urging residents to use crime-prevention offerings: the police team reminded residents about free premise checks and encouraged reporting suspicious activity so investigators can follow up. The presenters said they will continue monthly reporting and joint enforcement with university and county partners while criminal investigations proceed.