Lower patrol staff, higher OT costs: Report from Montgomery Co. police details department trends

Montgomery County police are trying to get a clearer picture of how the public feels about the job the department is doing. In its 2024 Police Statistical Data Report, discussed before the county council’s public safety committee meeting Monday, the department included the findings of a survey conducted through social media, including NextDoor. During Monday’s meeting, legislative analyst Susan Farag told the members of the public safety committee that the survey presented limitations, including possible self-selection bias. “In this case, the survey respondents skewed older, with more than 60% over the age of 56,” she said. “White residents were overrepresented relative to the county’s population, while Latino, Asian and Black residents were underrepresented.” In another attempt to get a broader response, Assistant Police Chief Nicholas Augustine and Lt. Cody Fields told the committee that the police department has been working on a survey that could be sent via text after callers contact 911 and the county’s nonemergency number to contact police. “The purpose of this is not to revictimize individuals, depending on the call type as well,” Fields said. “It’s … to make sure that we actually have the ability to assess our dispatch center and our officers performance and response.” Potential questions, Fields said, could include questions about whether call takers understood what the caller was asking, and whether they processed the call quickly and provided clear direction. Regarding police performance, Fields said questions could include, “If they were treated fairly; if the individual felt that the officer and staff listened to them; if their questions were answered; and if the individual surveyed understood what the officer or staff was relaying.” The surveys are expected to begin by Aug. 1, according to Farag. Police shortages and use of force The report also highlighted a problem that police leadership has been dealing with — a shortage of patrol officers. The data showed that the police department has 1,276 approved budgeted positions, while the number of sworn officers stood at 1,107 in 2024. Farag noted that the report showed, while MCPD’s patrol staffing has declined by 24% over the past three years, “patrol district-level overtime has surged. Overall, it has increased by 117%.” In Wheaton, Germantown and Gaithersburg/Montgomery Village, those overtime data points have more than doubled. The report also included information showing that despite seeing a slight rise in reports of use of force — from 1,722 to 1,766 — the number of complaints connected to use of force dropped from 17 to 3 from 2023 to 2024. “The department advises that it has not identified a specific trend or verified factors that may have caused the reduction in complaints,” but said it suggests that de-escalation training, professionalism of officers and the use of body-worn cameras used to “clarify complaints may have contributed to the decrease,” Farag said. At the same time, Internal Affairs Division, or IAD, investigations, increased from 58 in 2023 to 110 in 2024. The report from the county explained that the increase in investigations is connected to a change in state law that requires all complaints made by members of the public “regardless of severity” be investigated by the IAD. Source