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Police brief: FY26 budget, staffing pressures and crime trends dominate HHSVS discussion
Summary
Prince George’s County Police Department presented a FY26 operating request (about $439.7M total) and described continuing staffing challenges, a 19% sworn vacancy rate, a shift to 12‑hour schedules and targeted crime‑reduction initiatives; police leaders also flagged vehicle crime and gun recoveries as ongoing issues.
The Prince George’s County Police Department presented its FY26 budget overview and operational briefing to the county HHSVS committee, reporting a proposed total department budget of about $439.7 million and flagging staffing shortfalls, equipment replacement needs and crime‑fighting programs.
County budget staff told the committee the department’s FY26 total proposed budget is roughly $439.7 million, with the general fund comprising about 96.5% of the total. The budget analyst noted the department’s sworn vacancy rate was about 19% at the time of the presentation and that civilian vacancy rates also were elevated.
Chief Malik Aziz (introduced as Chief Aziz during the meeting) and senior staff reviewed staffing trends and operations. The department reported that applications to become sworn officers have declined substantially since the 2010s and that attrition and retirements remain a concern; the presentation listed about 20% of sworn personnel as eligible to retire in the near term. Chief Aziz said the department has established a Real Time Crime Center, opened a new forensics lab and formed a consolidated gun‑crimes unit in 2024.
On crime trends, department slides presented to the committee showed decreases in many categories in 2024 and through 2025 year‑to‑date: homicide counts were down slightly year‑over‑year and several violent‑crime categories were reported as declining in the most recent data. The department also reported continued high volumes of vehicle‑related thefts and described ongoing gun recoveries; Chief Aziz said gun‑recovery activity remains a major emphasis.
The police have shifted patrol schedules from a 10‑hour rotation to a 12‑hour model to better manage limited staffing. Deputy Chief James McCreery said officers who work 12‑hour shifts have more consecutive days off but that the department continues to provide wellness and sleep‑health guidance for shift workers; the department said the change was recommended by outside staffing studies.
Council members asked about recruitment incentives and place‑based policing programs. The department said it offers a $10,000 hiring bonus for new recruits and $15,000 for experienced lateral officers under the current contract and that it is competing for recruits against neighboring jurisdictions that sometimes offer larger incentives or broader benefit packages. Chief Aziz and deputies described “hex”‑based enforcement and quarterly crime reduction plans that redeploy investigators and patrol resources to small geographic focus zones.
Community and victim services were also a topic. The department said it recently hired a dedicated victim services coordinator (Ney Archie) who works with the Family Justice Center and community partners. Chief Aziz highlighted a range of community programs run by the department’s Community First division, including youth summer programming, Police Athletic League activities and a schools‑to‑careers explorer program.
Ending: The committee asked police leaders for additional detail on equipment replacement needs, overtime drivers and recruitment approaches; county budget staff said they prioritized maintaining public safety services in the FY26 proposal and would continue to work with the department on capital and personnel needs.
