City of Hyattsville (Maryland)



{|style="width:100%; border-spacing:0px; margin:0px;" cellpadding="0"; =City Overview= Hyattsville is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States.
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As a community inside the Capital Beltway, Hyattsville enjoys easy access to Washington and Baltimore by the West Hyattsville and Prince George's Plaza stops on the Metro subway system's Green Line or by MARC commuter rail trains on the Camden Line in the neighboring town of Riverdale Park.

=Security & Public Safety=

Hyattsville Police Department
The first form of law enforcement for the City of Hyattsville was April 7, 1886 at the time of incorporation. A chief bailiff was appointed for the purposes of collecting taxes, making arrests and serving process for violations of any ordinances of the corporation. The Hyattsville City Police Department has evolved from a single bailiff into a modern day law enforcement agency that utilizes many of the technological advancements afforded to the war on crime. The police department over the years has developed a rich tradition of community involvement.

On February 20, 2002 our agency joined the police departments from the Town of Bladensburg, the City of Greenbelt, the City of Mount Rainier, the Town of Riverdale Park for the signing of a multi - jurisdictional mutual aid agreement. The agreement to combine police resources is a first for municipal police departments in Prince George’s County.

The Hyattsville Police Department (Maryland) has currently 42 authorized police officers supplemented by 14 civilian positions. The department provides vehicle, bicycle, segway and foot patrols, a criminal investigations section, property and evidence services, a community action team, a variety of crime prevention programs, a school resource officer, K-9 Units and a Special Weapons and Tactics team. The Department is in the process of updating its computerized dispatch and records management systems. A computerized crime mapping program and emergency alert system are available to all residents, and the City will in the near future be installing closed circuit TV monitoring cameras and emergency call box systems in commercial and retail areas as part of its “Safe City” program.

Hyattsville Police Department HEAT Team
The Hyattsville City Police Department formed its own tactical team in December, 1997, for the purpose of having a unit that can aid in the apprehension of violent criminals and narcotics traffickers in the City. The tactical team was named H.E.A.T., and the acronym stands for Hard Entry And Tactics. The mission of the City of Hyattsville Police Department Hard Entry And Tactics (HEAT) Team is;


 * to protect life and property,
 * improve the quality of life for all people,
 * apprehend felons, and violent criminal offenders,
 * operate in a fashion that demonstrates the best qualities of a police unit,* protect the interests of the City.

(taken from Hyattsville Police Department Hard Entry And Tactics (HEAT) Team webpage)

Crime and Misrepresentation
(taken from the Community Legacy Revitalization Plan) "The City of Hyattsville is often misrepresented in the local news media leading people to believe crime is a problem. Accidents and criminal activities that occur in unincorporated areas outside the City limits but within a Hyattsville zip code are often reported as occurring within Hyattsville. Although Hyattsville maintains its own nationally accredited full-service police department to serve City residents, the negative public perception of the Prince George’s County Police Department also contributes to this issue. The Organization for the City of Hyattsville’s Identity (ORCHID) is working in conjunction with the City’s Police Department to address the mis-identification of Hyattsville. The Hyattsville Police Department reports that the overall crime rate in Hyattsville decreased 12% from January to November, 2002. Of the crimes reported in 2002, 81% were related to non-violent crimes against property (breaking and entering, stolen vehicles, theft, arson); crimes against people, (homicide, rape, robbery, carjacking, assault), increased slightly. Hyattsville maintains an overall low crime rate compared to nearby communities. Of the City’s five wards, Ward 1 experienced the highest crime rate and Ward 2 experienced the lowest rate."

The city was involved in a minor controversy in April 2006. In the episode airing April 27, the Geena Davis television series Commander in Chief depicted Hyattsville as having the highest murder rate in the United States; it also indirectly depicted the town as being an urban ghetto dominated by poor minorities. The city and Prince George's County were very upset at ABC. On May 1, ABC formally apologized to both the city and county.

Community Security
The City of Hyattsville is approximately 2.7 square miles in size with a population of approximately 18,000. There are approximately 50 miles of roads within the City limits; over 1,000 intersections, most of which are controlled by more than 600 stop signs.

Efforts to continue to provide a safe environment for all residents of and visitors to the City of Hyattsville has led to the implementation of a special project called "Operation Safe Streets".

Specifically, the Hyattsville Police Department has received numerous complaints of excessive speeding and stop sign violations in the residential area. Therefore, the traffic enforcement officers deploy both marked and unmarked units in an attempt to address these problems.

(taken from Operation Safe Streets)

Crime Watch Programs
Crime Watch meets periodically, in different sections of the City (usually alternating east side and west side). Meetings are open to all residents, and feature displays and guest speakers on topics of interest.

The meetings are conducted by the Police Department. The Chief is normally in attendance along with the Lieutenants and the Crime Prevention Officer of the City.

The purpose of Crime Watch is information exchange:


 * citizens are invited to voice their concerns.
 * The Police Department conveys information on how to be alerted to crime, and what to do if you see something happening.
 * There is a question and answer period.

Crime Watch meetings are announced on cable TV, in the local newspapers, and on the website calendar. For further information, contact Sergenat Suzie Johnson, Supervisor of the Community Action Team, at 301-985-5060 or send e-mail to sjohnson@hyattsville.org.

(taken from the Crime Watch Programs)

Public schools
The city is served by Prince George's County Public Schools.

Hyattsville is zoned to the following public schools:
 * Lewisdale Elementary
 * Hyattsville Elementary
 * Rosa Parks Elementary
 * Nicholas Orem Middle School
 * Northwestern High School
 * Carole Highlands Elementary School

Private schools

 * Concordia Lutheran School (Pre-K - 8)
 * St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic School (Pre-K - 8)
 * St. Jerome Catholic School (Pre-K - 8)
 * St. Matthew's Episcopal School (Pre-K - K)
 * DeMatha Catholic High School

Fire/EMS
Located in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., the Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department provides primary fire and emergency medical services to the City of Hyattsville, the majority (85% to 90%) of the Town of University Park, and several surrounding unincorporated areas including University Hills and the Prince George's Plaza area.

In recent years, with the consolidation of nearby fire stations, that area increased to include additional parts of the Queens Chapel Road corridor towards Washington, D.C.

HVFD has a combination volunteer and career fire station with approximately 60 active volunteer members of the department and five career personnel.

(taken from Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department webpage)

Emergency Management
Prince George’s County Fire Chief Ronald D. Blackwell reminds all families and citizens to continue to review their own families’ emergency response procedures to ensure that all family members know what to do, where to go and what their own emergency contingency plans are.

Updated information from the Prince George's County Government can be obtained on the Prince George's County website. Questions for the Office of Emergency Management can be referred to the Fire/EMS Department's Operations Center at 301-583-2200, 24 hours a day. Also, updated information will be posted to this website and direct links to other agencies will be provided.

Additional information on disaster preparadness can be found on the following links that all provide information on general preparedness, emergency planning, disaster supplies, evacuation, and shelters:

o The American Red Cross website;

o The Maryland Emergency Management Agency website;

o The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) website;

o The Citizen Corps website;

o The Federal Emergency Management Agency for Kids website (a good guide for children);

o The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) website;

o The NEW Department of Homeland Security Ready website that provides an excellent overview of preparedness; and

o The American Veterinary Medical Association website; and

o The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro) website with a direct link to their brochure about safety on the rails and buses (PDF file).

(taken from Hyattsville Police Departmetn Disaster Preparedness webpage)

=Geography Information= Hyattsville is located at 38°57′25″N 76°57′5″W.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.5 square miles (6.4 km²), of which, 2.43 square miles (6.3 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (1.38%) is water.

=Bordering Areas=


 * Adelphi
 * Brentwood
 * Chillum
 * Edmonston
 * Mount Rainier
 * North Brentwood
 * Riverdale Park
 * University Park

=Demographics=

As of the census of 2000, there were 14,733 people, 5,540 households, and 3,368 families residing in the city. The population density was 6,885.9 people per square mile (2,658.2/km²). There were 5,795 housing units at an average density of 2,708.5/sq mi (1,045.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 39.53% White, 41.03% African American, 0.50% Native American, 4.02% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 10.91% from other races, and 3.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 18.14% of the population.

There were 5,540 households out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.3% were married couples living together, 17.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.2% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 34.0% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,355, and the median income for a family was $51,625. Males had a median income of $33,163 versus $31,088 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,152. About 7.9% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

= Government = When first incorporated, Hyattsville was run by a Board of Commissioners; in May 1900, it switched to a mayor and common council system. Today, the city government consists of a popularly elected mayor and a ten-person city council. Each of the five wards in the city are represented by two popularly elected councilmen.

Presidents of the Board of Commissioners

 * Richard P. Evans (1886–87)
 * Francis H. Smith (1887–89)
 * Francis J. Gramlick (1889–90)
 * Jackson H. Ralston (1890–91)
 * Frederic A. Holden (1891–92)
 * Jackson H. Ralston (1892–93)
 * Francis H. Smith (1893–97)
 * Michael V. Tierney (1897–98)
 * L. K. Miller (1898–99)
 * Charles E. Postley (1899–1900)

Mayors

 * Michael V. Tierney (1900–02)
 * Charles A. Wells (1902–06)
 * Joseph R. Owens (1906–08)
 * John J. Fainter (acting mayor) (1908–09)
 * William P. Magruder (1909–11)
 * Roger Bellis (1911–12)
 * Harry W. Shepherd (1912–14)
 * Oswald A. Greagor (1914–15)
 * Edward Devlin (1915–16)
 * John G. Holden (1916–17)
 * William A. Brooks (1917–19)
 * Matthew F. Halloran (1919–20)
 * T. Hammond Welsh (1920–21)
 * J. Frank Rushe (1921–25)
 * Irvin Owings (1925–27)
 * Hillary T. Willis (1927–31)
 * Lemuel L. Gray (1931–33)
 * Hillary T. Willis (1933–38)
 * E. Murray Gover (1938–46)
 * R. T. Plitt (acting mayor) (1946–47)
 * Caesar L. Aiello (1947–51)
 * Jesse S. Baggett (1951–54)
 * Thomas E. Arnold (acting mayor) (1954–55)
 * George J. O'Hare (1955–59)
 * Joseph F. Lilly (1959–67)
 * Charles L. Armentrout (1967–75)
 * George C. Harrison (1975–76)
 * Jeremiah Harrington (1976–79)
 * Thomas L. Bass (1979–95)
 * Mary K. Prangley (1995–99)
 * Robert W. Armentrout (1999–2003)
 * William F. Gardiner (2003– )

=References=

=External links=
 * City of Hyattsville
 * Route 1 Communities: Hyattsville
 * Maryland Municipal League: Hyattsville
 * Hyattsville Preservation Association
 * Hyattsville Volunteer Fire Department
 * Hyattsville H4X - Community Podcast
 * My Hyattsville - Community Website & Wiki
 * The Hyattsville Blog - Hyattsville Blog
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