Prince George's County Police Department

1930s

The Prince George's County Police Department was created on June 1, 1931 in response to the increasing population and crime the county was experiencing. Prior to 1931, the county was primarily policed by the Prince George's County Sheriff's Office (PGSO). When serious crimes, such as murder or rape, were committed, detectives from the Baltimore City Police Department were borrowed.

1970s

On June 26, 1978, Officer Albert Marshal Claggett IV and Officer James Swart were shot and killed with Claggett's revolver by Terrence Johnson, a 15-year-old theft suspect, while in the booking area of the Hyattsville District Station. Johnson was found guilty of manslaughter in the death of Officer Claggett and not guilty by reason of insanity in the death of Officer Swart. Johnson was sentenced to 25 years in prison; he was paroled in 1995. In 1997, Johnson and his brother robbed a bank in Aberdeen, Maryland. As police officers approached to arrest him, Johnson committed suicide.

1980s

On February 8, 1982, Officer Raymond Hubbard was shot and killed when he intervened in an armed robbery while off duty at Iverson Mall. While shopping at the mall Officer Hubbard observed an armed robbery in progress at a jewelry store. He drew his weapon and confronted the suspects. Unbeknownst to Officer Hubbard, there were accomplices nearby who opened fire on him.Officer Hubbard was struck several times and fell to the ground. The suspects then stood over him and shot him several more times before stealing his service revolver.All four suspects were eventually apprehended and convicted of Officer Hubbard's murder. Three were sentenced to life and one was sentenced to 70 years in prison.Officer Hubbard had served with the Prince George's County Police Department for 2 years.

In August 1988, Corporal Mark Kevin Murphy was shot while he attempted to force open a door during a drug raid. As Murphy knelt down to position equipment, someone inside the home opened the door. Other policemen then opened fire hitting Murphy in the back of the head.

Around 1988 when the Maryland State Police went to Beretta the Montgomery County Police Department started to replace their revolvers with the 9mm Beretta 92.

1990s

During the late 1990s, the PGPD used the Chevrolet Lumina.

In July 1999, the department was subject to a complaint by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding alleged excessive use of force by police canine units.

2000s

On June 21, 2005, Sergeant Steven F. Gaughan was killed during a traffic stop in Laurel.

On June 27, 2008, Corporal Richard S. Findley was killed by Ronnie L. White, who was driving a stolen pickup truck. White struck Corporal Findley with the truck as he attempted to elude police and avoid being arrested in Laurel. White appeared to be in good physical condition when he was arrested but died of asphyxiation while in the custody of the Prince George's County Department of Corrections. The death was ruled a homicide. The Prince George's County Police investigated the crime; suspects included several guards. A cell video camera, which would have recorded the incident was either disabled or obstructed. There were no arrests.

On October 23, 2008, the county and three individually-named police officers were found not liable for use of excessive force by a jury after deliberating for twenty minutes. The claim involved injuries sustained by a University of Maryland student who was involved in a riot following a victory over Duke University in basketball in 2005. The student was struck near the eye allegedly by a projectile fired from a FN 303 less-than-lethal riot gun.

2010s

On March 9, 2010, Private First Class Tom Jensen died at Prince George's Hospital Center after being taken there following a vehicular crash. He was responding to a man breaking into a woman's apartment on February 27, 2010. Due to his over five years of service in the department, he was posthumously promoted to corporal.

On August 20, 2012, Officer Adrian Morris died as a result of an automobile accident on the Washington, D.C. Capital Beltway, near Route 212. Officer Michael Risher was also injured but survived, according to the police department. Morris, who was driving the police cruiser, was attempting to catch-up to another vehicle while investigating a reported crime. The police cruiser apparently veered off the highway and into a ravine. Morris, who was thrown from the vehicle, suffered severe head injuries. He was pronounced dead at Prince George's Hospital. Morris, 23, was a former member of the Prince George’s Police Explorers.

Currently officers are issued the Smith & Wesson M&P chambered for .40 S&W

Organization

The current Chief of Police is Hank Stawinski, who is the 17th chief. The previous Chief of Police, Mark Magaw, retired in December 2015.

As of 2010, the agency has an authorized strength of 2,000 sworn officers and 300 civilians.

The agency is divided into seven districts. Each district is divided into sectors, which are divided into individual beats:

Organizational structure

Specialized units

As of January 1, 2014, each division has various units in it as listed below.

Bureau of Patrol

Regional Investigative Division

Divided into 3 regions North (Hyattsville/Beltsville), Central (Bowie/Landover), South (Clinton, Oxon HIll) Each region has its own detectives:

Special Operations Division

Criminal Investigation Division

Crime Scene Investigation Division

Special Investigation Division

Internal Affairs Division

Narcotics Enforcement Division

Bureau of Support Services

Excessive force

In January 2004, the department signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the U.S. Department of Justice over allegations of excessive force. This resulted in the establishment of an independent monitoring group by Military Professional Resources Inc. (MPRI), a defense contractor.

Convictions of officer

In April 2014, Officer Sinisa Simic was sentenced ten years' confinement for his protection of a gang distributing cocaine and untaxed cigarettes. Simic had been indicted on various charges in 2010 as part of a wide-ranging corruption investigation that lead to the arrest of three other officers.

Alleged officer conduct not resulting in convictions

On February 3, 2012, Corporal Donald Taylor beat Ryan Dorm with the butt of his service weapon. The pistol fired from the impact with Dorm's face. Taylor then filed a report falsely claiming Dorm had somehow attacked him. A surveillance video at the Brentwood, Maryland gas station showed this to be false and in September 2012, Taylor was charged with nonspecific crimes. Dorm, who had been arrested on various charges had all charges against dropped after being jailed for four months. Cpl Donald Taylor was charged with assault and misconducted in office. He was found not guilty and acquitted of all charges after a trial.

In May 2012, Officer Daniel Gonzalez was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol after crashing his official car. Gonzalez was found not guilty of all charges after a trial.

In July 2012, Corporal Rickey Adey was indicted by a grand jury on charges for assaulting a teenaged boy during an arrest. Adey was acquitted of the charges after a trial.

Academy

On October 9, 2010, an instructor at the Prince George's Police Academy, was transferred out of the academy. Reportedly, he had given all of his recruits perfect scores on tests, even though students' actual scores varied, and at least some students had failed those exams. There was evidence that he shared exam questions with students in advance, allowing several classes of recruits to graduate after cheating on their exam.

Canine killing

In September 2010, a PGPD officer shot and killed a pet canine after its owners called 911 for help after being the victims of an attempted robbery.