College Park to commission fresh public‑safety assessment; council asks diagnostic phase first

The City of College Park signaled it will pursue a new public‑safety assessment that combines a review of existing contract policing arrangements with a broader look at community‑based responder models.

Deputy City Manager presented a proposed timeline and scope for a consultant‑led engagement that would simultaneously: (a) evaluate the current contract with Prince George’s County Police, including deployment, supervision, data transparency and performance expectations; and (b) examine alternatives and augmentations such as expanded foot or bike patrols, problem‑oriented policing, coordinated co‑responders and preventive neighborhood strategies.

Council members urged the city to start with a diagnostic phase: collect and harmonize locally relevant data (call types, response times, contract versus county/unit geography), hold district‑level listening sessions so council and staff understand disparate neighborhood experiences, and then test targeted interventions. Several council members and staff recommended hiring a third‑party consultant for the police assessment portion and using community input and district‑level focus groups to inform any service changes.

Staff proposed an outreach and consultant schedule that begins June and runs through fall for community engagement and data collection, with budgetary considerations to be folded into FY28–29 planning if council selects actions that require additional staff or contracts. The city estimated consultant costs could fall in a range ($30k–$50k for initial scoping), with higher totals depending on the scope and any subsequent implementation steps.

Next steps: Staff will draft a detailed scope and budget to bring back to council at a regular meeting; council asked staff to provide a plan for district‑level engagement and to begin assembling the data set required for an accurate diagnostic.