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Council vice president urges public-safety plan for county transit center site
Summary
Neil Harris told the Gaithersburg council the county transit center has become a 'hotspot' and said the city should work with the county to plan oversight measures — including cameras, on-site staff or even a police substation — while acknowledging an investigation limits public comment.
Council vice president Neil Harris said Tuesday that the location near the county transit center has been "something of a hotspot for bad actors" and urged the city to pursue a public-safety action plan in coordination with the county's Department of Transportation and police.
Harris read a prepared statement noting an ongoing investigation that prevents city officials from addressing specific incidents: "Due to the ongoing investigation into the recent police response to the activity at the County's ... Transit Center, city officials and staff are unable to address those specific situations publicly. Despite that investigation, though, we can acknowledge that the location has been something of a hotspot for bad actors. I think enough is enough. We need a public safety action plan for that site," he said. He suggested that a relocated county transit center should have "some level of oversight beyond what's there today," including cameras, on-site staff or a police substation.
Mayor Ashman and several councilmembers associated themselves with Harris's statement and said the city will seek to partner with county agencies as the county prepares to relocate the transit center. No formal intergovernmental action was taken at the meeting; councilmembers said staff and county partners will need to coordinate further.
