College Park police report three residential burglaries, nearly 5,000 stop‑sign camera events; residents press for more visible patrols

College Park officials on June 1 reviewed May public‑safety data, described enforcement steps after a weekend amplified‑sound event, and fielded residents’ complaints about police visibility and loud vehicle exhaust from nearby shops.

Chitendra Kokar, the city’s public services director, opened the meeting and asked Prince George’s County officers to present May crime figures. “We had 6 assaults, 3 residential burglaries, 10 theft from autos, 11 other thefts, and 4 stolen vehicles,” Deputy Chief Coletti said, adding that two of the four stolen vehicles were electric bikes and that the county is working with other agencies on a joint investigation into the burglaries concentrated in College Park Estates.

Sergeant Wycoop described police action taken after a loud, amplified event outside the city that affected College Park Woods. “So we actually went to the 49595 split and shut it down,” he said, and officers cited people who brought the speakers and took photographic evidence.

Residents raised concerns about trust and visibility. Juan Herrera said many neighbors do not report crimes because they do not see officers in their neighborhood: “They can’t trust you if they don’t see you,” he said. Deputy Chief Coletti responded that the department seeks transparency and invited one‑on‑one conversations, while council members suggested neighborhood outreach such as ride‑alongs and the county’s citizens police academy as ways to build familiarity.

The meeting included a detailed update on automated traffic enforcement. City staff reported 4,926 stop‑sign violation events recorded in May; of those, 4,050 resulted in tickets issued, 336 were rejected, and 540 remained pending officer review. The city said vendor Aviel AI will provide a location breakdown and registration analysis in its next monthly report. City staff said stop‑sign violations dropped markedly after a 30‑day warning period and the start of citations, an outcome officials framed as a change in driver behavior.

Coletti also reviewed traffic‑stop activity for late May, listing daily tallies of stops, citations, warnings and safety‑repair orders to show proactive enforcement in targeted neighborhoods. Chitendra Kokar praised the contract police program’s traffic work as “phenomenal” and said the results are shared in the city’s biweekly and mayoral reports.

On noise enforcement, the county has placed a noise‑monitoring trailer on Baltimore Avenue. Coletti said the pilot typically cites when sound exceeds 85 decibels; the first violation is treated as a warning and a second violation can carry a $75 fine. Council members asked staff to obtain citation counts and program duration; Coletti said he would try to provide more details.

Officials also said the city is working with Pepco to convert diesel camera trailers at three locations into permanent pole‑mounted camera installations once power connections are made. The meeting closed with reminders about upcoming events, including University of Maryland‑hosted Fourth of July fireworks, a Friday night event on June 12 at City Hall Plaza, and National Night Out on Aug. 4 at Deep Wall Field.

No formal votes or motions were taken; several investigations and vendor reports remain active and officials said they will return with more data at future meetings.