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Montgomery County police roll out new patches, urge residents to report crimes
Summary
Montgomery County Police spokesperson Carlos Cortés explained new uniform patches and identifying features meant to reduce confusion with other local agencies and impersonators, urged residents to call 9‑1‑1 for emergencies and 301‑279‑8000 for nonemergencies, and clarified the county force does not enforce federal immigration laws.
Montgomery County Police spokesperson Carlos Cortés described a recent change to officers’ uniforms intended to help residents distinguish county police from other local and federal law enforcement, and he urged community members to report crimes to the appropriate number.
Carlos Cortés told host Marcela Rodríguez Villagrán that the department has produced an informational video and updated patches to reduce confusion between multiple agencies operating in Montgomery County. "A nosotros no nos interesa su estatus migratorio, de dónde usted vino, ni nada por el estilo," Cortés said, urging people to call police when crimes occur so investigations can proceed.
Why it matters: Multiple municipal and county agencies operate in Montgomery County—Cortés named municipal departments including Gatesburg, Rockfield and Chevy Chase as well as sheriff's offices—each with different uniforms. The department said imposters posing as police have been arrested, prompting the outreach to help residents recognize legitimate officers and avoid dangerous misidentification.
Details officials highlighted: Cortés said county officers wear black uniforms with a gold badge on the left chest that reads "policía" and "condado de Montgomery, MD," and a right‑chest nameplate showing the officer’s surname and identification number (he gave his own as Cortés, 3104). Shoulder patches on both shoulders will read "policía" and "condado de Montgomery MD," and external ballistic vests now display a back logo reading "Montgomery County Police" (English) instead of the previous patch that only said "police." Cortés said the change is intended to make the county affiliation explicit.
On impersonation and arrests: Cortés said the department has arrested individuals impersonating officers, including someone using blue lights and a fictitious badge. He described those incidents as a driver for the public education campaign.
On immigration enforcement: Asked whether the county police work with federal immigration authorities, Cortés said the county force does not have authority to enforce federal immigration laws and does not collaborate with federal agencies to apply those laws. He said arrests by Montgomery County officers stem from state‑level or county‑level crimes.
How to report crimes: Cortés urged residents to call 9‑1‑1 for immediate emergencies. For incidents that occurred earlier and are not in progress, he gave the nonemergency line as 301‑279‑8000 and asked the public to use that line so 9‑1‑1 stays available for true emergencies.
Looking ahead: The department asked residents to view the agency’s informational video on the Consejo del Condado de Montgomery Facebook page and to contact police when crimes occur so investigations can proceed.
