Prince George's County (Maryland) Department of Public Safety

Prince George's County (Maryland) Department of Public Safety
Name	Prince George's County Department of Public Safety
Jurisdiction	Prince George's County, Maryland
Headquarters	Upper Marlboro, Maryland

Contents

Prince George's County (Maryland) Department of Public Safety The Department of Public Safety in Prince George's County, Maryland is the civilian agency responsible for coordinating emergency services, interagency law enforcement support, and public safety planning for the county seat of Upper Marlboro, Maryland and its municipalities such as Bowie, Maryland, College Park, Maryland, and Hyattsville, Maryland. It operates in close cooperation with regional partners including the Maryland State Police, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and local entities like the Prince George's County Police Department and Prince George's County Fire/Emergency Medical Services Department. The department's mission emphasizes resilience, community safety, and continuity of operations across suburban corridors adjoining Washington, D.C., the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area, and transportation hubs such as Joint Base Andrews and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Overview and Mission

The department articulates a mission to protect residents of Prince George's County, Maryland through strategic planning aligned with statutes such as the Maryland Emergency Management Agency framework, while coordinating with federal partners including the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and United States Department of Transportation. Its scope covers critical infrastructure near sites like National Harbor (Maryland), Fort Washington, Maryland, and the University of Maryland, College Park, and interfaces with transit authorities including Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority and Amtrak. The mission statement frames priorities around preparedness, mitigation, response, recovery, and interjurisdictional mutual aid under agreements such as the Emergency Management Assistance Compact.

The organizational structure places an executive director or public safety administrator at the nexus between the Prince George's County Council and county executive offices, coordinating with elected officials in Maryland's 4th congressional district and county departments including Prince George's County Department of Health and Prince George's County Office of Emergency Management. Functional units report into divisions that mirror models used by agencies like the New York City Office of Emergency Management, the Los Angeles Emergency Management Department, and the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications, enabling liaison roles with the National Guard (United States), United States Secret Service, and academic partners at the University System of Maryland.

Divisions commonly include emergency management, communications and 911 operations, emergency medical coordination, continuity planning, and public information, paralleling services offered by the American Red Cross, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Weather Service for hazard communication. Specialized services coordinate hazardous materials response and mass casualty planning with agencies like the Maryland Department of the Environment, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police, and hospital systems such as Prince George's Hospital Center and University of Maryland Medical Center. Community outreach and preparedness programs link with nonprofits including the Salvation Army, Community Crisis Services, Inc., and local faith-based organizations.

Emergency management functions integrate mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery models promoted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and National Incident Management System, employing the Incident Command System during events affecting corridors like Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway), U.S. Route 1 in Maryland, and rail arteries served by MARC Train. The department coordinates large-scale responses to severe weather from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, public health emergencies alongside the Maryland Department of Health, and special events security for venues such as FedExField and Merriweather Post Pavilion. Mutual aid compacts align with neighboring jurisdictions including Montgomery County, Maryland, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, and the District of Columbia Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency.

The agency fosters interoperability among the Prince George's County Police Department, Prince George's County Sheriff's Office, U.S. Capitol Police, Amtrak Police Department, and federal law enforcement task forces such as joint terrorism task forces coordinated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Initiatives emphasize crime prevention partnerships with civic groups, data-sharing agreements referencing standards from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, and community policing collaborations modeled after programs in Boston, Massachusetts, Seattle, Washington, and Los Angeles, California. Projects addressing traffic safety align with campaigns by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and transit security measures involving Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Police Department.

Training programs adhere to standards from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, the Emergency Management Accreditation Program, and state credentialing through the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission. The department hosts joint exercises with entities such as the United States Secret Service protective detail units, the Maryland National Guard, university public safety offices at University of Maryland, College Park, and regional hospitals to validate mass casualty protocols promoted by the American College of Surgeons. Continuous professional development includes partnerships with academic institutions like Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University, and Howard University.

Funding streams combine county allocations approved by the Prince George's County Council, federal grants from the Department of Homeland Security, competitive awards from the Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, and cooperative funding with state agencies such as the Maryland Emergency Management Agency. Resource management encompasses procurement of communications infrastructure compatible with Project 25, vehicle fleets maintained under county procurement rules, and capital planning for facilities serving populations in municipalities like Laurel, Maryland and Greenbelt, Maryland. Fiscal oversight interacts with the Prince George's County Office of Audits and state auditing standards set by the Comptroller of Maryland.

Category:Government of Prince George's County, Maryland