College Park police report: 25 thefts from autos in June, two robberies and several arrests

Prince George's County contract officers told the City of College Park Public Safety Committee on July 7 that the city recorded 25 thefts from autos in June, two robberies and a mix of assaults, burglaries and other thefts.

The presentation from contract officer Adi Ciccolleti summarized June totals as: one citizen robbery, one commercial robbery, six assaults (three domestic), three commercial burglaries, three residential burglaries, 25 thefts from autos, 19 other thefts and two vehicles stolen. Ciccolleti said officers arrested two juveniles in a June robbery on College Avenue; a BB gun recovered during that arrest was initially reported as a handgun.

Ciccolleti said the commercial robbery occurred June 2 at the Citgo station in the 9800 block of Rhode Island Avenue; two suspects entered, displayed a handgun and took cash. The June 2 incident was reported at about 1:00 p.m., Ciccolleti said. In the student robbery on the 5000 block of College Avenue, two juveniles from Greenbelt were arrested after county and University of Maryland officers located them and one of the city’s K-9 units recovered the weapon, which proved to be a BB gun.

The presentation named multiple commercial-burglary locations, including a Dunkin' Donuts on the 9800 block of Baltimore Avenue and another business on the 100 block of Baltimore Avenue; Ciccolleti said suspects pried or shattered front doors to access cash registers. Residential burglaries reported in June included two incidents at a vacant property on 4603 College Avenue, where officers said suspects removed 500 feet of copper wire and took power tools, and an incident on the 5000 block of Lakeland Road in which a suspect used a sledgehammer to force entry and was later tasered and taken to Capital Regional Medical Center for evaluation.

Ciccolleti described a concentrated theft-from-auto series: on one night in Hollywood, officers found seven or eight vehicles hit in a single incident; elsewhere in the month multiple vehicles had airbags removed. For the month the department reported roughly 10 vehicles with tires and rims removed, seven with airbags removed and one catalytic-converter theft. Ciccolleti said these thefts are rapid—suspects are “in and out within a couple minutes of each car”—and that some patterns (for example, multiple Hondas targeted in Hollywood) emerged in June.

Committee members and residents asked how the police compile the maps and statistics. Ciccolleti said the department’s analyst compiles figures from police reports entered into the department’s records-management system (RMS). A resident who said he photographed broken windows and dismantled steering assemblies pressed officers to ensure the maps include all incidents; Ciccolleti confirmed a theft-from-auto at 9752 50 Second Place (reported in the RMS) and said the analyst’s counts come from the individual reports written by officers.

Council members and residents asked for guidance to reduce vulnerability to theft. Ciccolleti recommended steering-wheel clubs, neighborhood reporting of suspicious activity and home surveillance cameras, and noted the department encourages residents to request premise checks when traveling. Mayor Kabir said the city is exploring a possible rebate program for home cameras that would be discussed by the council in the coming days.

Why it matters: theft-from-auto incidents frequently produce thousands of dollars in damage to victims, and multiple members of the public asked that the city and county better capture and present the full extent of damage in its statistics. The committee heard repeated requests for clearer data sources and asked the department to continue reporting follow-up results as investigations close.

The meeting record shows residents and council members repeatedly urged that crimes be reported to 911 and documented in police reports so analysts can capture and map incidents accurately. Ciccolleti said prosecutions may seek restitution for damaged property when suspects are arrested and charged.