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Filling the Public Safety Gap
Thursday, March 23, 2023
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Dear Friends,
Public safety is a core responsibility of County Government. As a new member of the Council's Public Safety Committee, one of my priorities since being sworn-in almost four months ago has been to reverse our critical shortage of police officers and emergency call-takers.
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This work is personal to me. As a certified law enforcement trainer who has taught departments around the State, I understand the need to have high-quality officers and first responders with the support and resources required to address emergencies and deter crime.
I was honored to address attendees of the March 12 MCPD recruitment open house about the importance of our department.
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 Councilmember Luedtke addresses attendees of Montgomery County Police's recruitment open house
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I'm committed to a number of steps to increase recruitment classes and retain more of our veteran public safety personnel.
$20,000 bonus for new sworn police recruits: This initiative, announced by the County Executive last month, will make our department more competitive regionally for prospective recruits.
Modernizing regulations: I'm working with department and labor leaders to update State hiring regulations that act as a hurdle to highly-qualified recruits.
Supporting the mission of public safety: As local government leaders, our words and actions matter. We must make clear that we value the work and sacrifice of the law enforcement professionals who serve our community. We can and must do this work while holding officers and the department accountable. These goals aren't mutually exclusive.
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It was a privilege in my previous role as an Assistant Attorney General to lead the creation of the State's model policy for behavioral threat assessment in Kindergarten-Grade 12 schools. This implementation guide, released last month, will help parents, students, and community members better understand the purpose and process of behavioral threat assessment, the importance of early intervention, and is a key component of the state's Safe To Learn Act of 2018.
I'm thankful to my Council colleagues and the County Executive branch for their support of two bills I introduced and that were approved unanimously on Tuesday that will protect the private health info of prospective County employees and address lapses in following open meetings rules by County committees. Read more about Bill 5-23 and Bill 8-23 and the positive impact these pieces of legislation will have on how our County Government functions.
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 Councilmember Luedtke (right) with Dave Humpton (middle) and Councilmember Katz (left) celebrating Mr. Humpton's retirement
During four decades of public service to Montgomery Village and Gaithersburg, Dave Humpton has been a constant and steadfast leader who has contributed much to the quality of life of so many in Montgomery County.
I was proud to join Councilmember Sidney Katz last week to honor Dave, who is retiring from his role as Executive Vice President of the Montgomery Village Foundation. The Foundation is responsible for the day-to-day management, capital projects, and budget oversight for Montgomery Village and its more than 40,000 residents. Before leading the Foundation, Dave served as City Manager for the City of Gaithersburg, where he was instrumental in numerous projects and improvements that have benefitted generations of residents of central Montgomery County.
Congratulations Dave and thank you for your service! Congratulations to incoming Foundation Executive Vice President Mike Conroy as well as the new and re-elected members of the Foundation's Board of Directors.
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