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College Park police report June carjacking, spate of airbag thefts; city also tackles Old Town rodent outbreak
Summary
City officials reviewed June crime totals including a carjacking on Campus Drive, described a concentrated string of airbag and auto thefts around Baltimore Avenue and Cherokee/48th, and said code enforcement and county partners are responding to a growing rodent problem in Old Town.
For the month of June, an agency official reported, "For the month of June, we had 1 carjacking, 2 assaults, 1 residential burglary, 13 theft from autos, 10 other thefts, and 8 stolen vehicles," and said the carjacking occurred on Campus Drive on June 13.
The official told the College Park public-safety meeting that auto-related crime clusters along the Baltimore Avenue corridor and on the north end above Greenbelt Road, and that the department has increased patrols in neighborhoods residents had identified as concerns. The official said seven of the eight stolen vehicles occurred on the north side of town and one near Frank Tippett.
Agency staff described a targeted pattern of airbag thefts: "I wanna say there was 5 vehicles broken into" in the Cherokee and 48th Avenue area on one night, with another rim-and-tire theft reported at the Holiday Inn on the north side of Baltimore Avenue. The official said some incidents likely will be reflected in the July report because the thefts occurred the weekend after the June reporting period.
During questions, a resident asked how College Park compares with Prince George’s County; the agency official said the city is "in alignment with other areas" and noted county-wide increases in theft-from-auto. The official also described county support, saying county helicopters based in College Park have flown neighborhood overviews and relayed suspicious activity to officers on the ground.
Separately, a city staff member updated the public on a multi-jurisdiction financial‑crimes investigation: the county police financial crimes unit has made several arrests related to individuals posing as city employees and soliciting payment for services, and one suspect still has an outstanding warrant.
Looking ahead, staff said community policing events will return as students come back and reminded residents of National Night Out at Duval Field the first Tuesday in August. The staff member also urged residents to secure trash and report sanitation issues in response to a separate public‑health concern: an outbreak of rodents in Old Town that staff attributed in part to nearby construction that has disturbed habitat. The city said code enforcement, property managers, pest-control firms and county partners are coordinating response efforts.
The meeting closed with staff noting ongoing patrols and community outreach; staff said the agencies will continue to monitor trends and provide follow-up reports to the public.
