Subject
title
Authorize the City Manager to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement with the Montgomery County Department of Police to assign a sworn member of the Rockville City Police Department to the Vice and Intelligence Unit.
end
Department
Police
Recommendation
Staff recommends the Mayor and Council authorize the City Manager to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) (Attachment 1) with the Montgomery County Department of Police to assign a sworn member of the Rockville City Police Department to the Vice and Intelligence Unit.
Change in Law or Policy
None
Discussion
The Rockville City Police Department has filled all current police officer vacancies and is now assigning additional personnel to special assignments such as the Community Engagement Officer program, the Traffic Unit, and the Criminal Investigations Unit. Filling these positions increases the capabilities of the Rockville City Police Department and provides professional growth opportunities for current police officers. The expansion of these units not only increases public safety in the City of Rockville in various disciplines of law enforcement, but it also keeps the Rockville City Police Department competitive in recruiting the best and brightest future police officers.
As part of the department’s strategic plan to enhance law enforcement services to the City of Rockville, the Rockville City Police Department is establishing a Special Assignment Unit. In addition to other duties, the Special Assignment Unit will conduct investigations into quality-of-life crimes, narcotics complaints, retail theft, and organized crime. The Special Assignment Unit will be initiative-driven and will implement strategies in the areas of the City of Rockville where crime patterns and trends are identified through crime analysis.
The Rockville City Police Department and the Montgomery County Department of Police work collaboratively to investigate and reduce crime in the City of Rockville. The Rockville City Police Department seeks to assign one member from the Special Assignment Unit to the Montgomery County Department of Police’s Vice and Intelligence Unit. The sworn member will participate in the investigation of organized crime that includes human trafficking and prostitution offenses, illegal distribution of pornographic material, illegal gambling operations and public corruption within the City of Rockville. These investigations currently take place with little to no involvement of the Rockville City Police Department. The sworn member will have access to real time intelligence information that will assist Rockville City Police Department with investigations into violent crime in the City of Rockville.
As part of the assignment, the sworn member will be embedded in the Special Investigations Division of the Montgomery County Department of Police. This assignment demonstrates the Rockville City Police Department’s collaborative approach to maintaining the highest level of public safety in the City of Rockville and will be formalized through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Mayor and Council of Rockville and the Montgomery County Department of Police.
The assigned sworn, member will receive supervision and oversight from the Montgomery County Department of Police’s Special Investigations Division and the Rockville City Police Department’s Special Operations Division. The respective Chiefs of Police will receive a weekly report on the status of investigative progress and will evaluate the value and necessity of the agreement on or about June 1 of subsequent years.
Mayor and Council History
This has never been before the Mayor and Council.
Fiscal Impact
The City of Rockville will continue to pay the salary and benefits for the assigned sworn member. As part of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), the City of Rockville will receive 30% of all assets seized and forfeited through court proceedings.
Next Steps
Upon Mayor and Council approval, the City Manager will enter into an agreement with the Montgomery County Department of Police to assign a sworn member of the Rockville City Police Department to the Vice and Intelligence Unit.