Work With Us to Abate Violations
One of our major functions at DPIE is code enforcement. When we find violations, abatement is often not immediate. Some people move quickly to address issues. Others opt to have their cases adjudicated by the courts or the Administrative Hearing Unit. If your complaint is lingering, it may be going through the appeal process.
We wish we had time to call every complainant, but current staffing does not allow that. We ask that you use PGC311 to file and follow complaints. Some complainants have been told by PGC311 that it will take us a year to respond. That is an IT error that is being corrected.
Inspectors are inundated by requests to ride with them or meet with them in communities as they work. Liability concerns limit us from having citizens in cars with staff. Concerns for your privacy limit us from having you openly examining problems with us. It is safer for violating neighbors to be unaware of who is filing complaints. Time constraints require inspectors to spend their time in the field doing inspections as much as possible to resolve cases.
We ask that you partner with us as we work diligently to abate code violations within the confines of demand and staffing challenges. With your cooperation, we’ll keep working to gain compliance.
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New Administrator Oversees Enforcement and Inspections
Deputy Director LaMont A. Hinton joined the DPIE team on September 26. He manages the Enforcement, Inspections and Administrative Services divisions; the Communications and QA/QC units; and Boards and Commissions. Deputy Director Hinton came to DPIE from the District of Columbia government, where he most recently served as the Director of the Traffic Safety and Specialized Enforcement Branch of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
“We are excited to have LaMont with us,” said DPIE Director Melinda Bolling. “He brings a wealth of experience and expertise in several areas that will benefit the agency as we continue to expand the use of technology in functions such as code enforcement, permitting and licensing – and service delivery in general.”
Deputy Director Hinton has more than 25 years of multisector leadership and management experience in both transportation and operations. He has managed several multimillion-dollar contracts and operations that drew significant public, media and political interest. He has overseen projects that generated upwards of $100 million in revenue.
The new DPIE administrator said he is happy to move his work headquarters to Prince George’s County, where he has resided for more than 20 years.
“I am happy to be able to serve the citizens in the jurisdiction where I live,” Deputy Director Hinton said. “I am reading, researching and studying everything I can about DPIE as I continue to get to know the various facets of the agency. DPIE has a huge area of responsibility and a very impressive and qualified staff. I am enjoying getting to know the team and working with them.”
Deputy Director Hinton holds a Master of Professional Studies in Public Leadership with a Specialization in Multisector Management from The George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science in Governmental Administration from Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia. He also obtained a Public Manager Certification from The George Washington University and the Metropolitan Council of Governments Institute for Regional Excellence.
In his spare time, Deputy Director Hinton enjoys gardening and traveling the world angling for different species of fish.
Coming October 20:
 Zoning Inspector James Laws inspects a neglected shopping center with multiple County Code violations.
Businesses Fined for Violations as Part of Cleanup Effort
For three years, Inspector James Laws has been working on bringing a Camp Springs strip into compliance. There have been inspections, meetings, agreements, breaches of agreements, fines and appeals. Recently, the County was awarded $16,000 in fees related to code violations at the center. Mall ownership is appealing.
“They are still in violation,” said Laws, a member of the Enforcement Division's Zoning. “They still refuse to fix the problems and adhere to the County’s rules and regulations.”
DPIE Zoning Unit inspectors said they spend a disproportionate amount of time working to bring shopping centers and strip malls into compliance. Victories such as the fine in the Andrews Manor case send a message to violating mall owners and managers that their days of ignoring the County Code are numbered.
“These cases are important because some of these shopping areas are having a significant negative impact on the aesthetics of neighborhoods,” said Enforcement Division Associate Director Val Cary. “When we are able to gain compliance at one shopping center, it shows the owners and managers of other shopping centers that they need to abate their violations or face similar consequences.”
The difficulty with gaining compliance sometimes is that the owners live outside the County and are difficult to locate. Others are unconcerned about presenting a quality shopping experience to their customers, said Enforcement Assistant Associate Director Chrystal Tibbs.
“They play the game that they don’t have the money to make the repairs needed to bring the properties into compliance,” Tibbs said. “They aren’t concerned about bringing the shopping centers into compliance because some people will continue to shop there anyway.”
Laws said residents may want to consider the state of shopping centers before patronizing them. “People need to pay attention to the way these places are taken care of before they spend their money there,” Laws said. “Think about what it means when someone gives you a business that is not aesthetically pleasing and may even have safety concerns.”
Report code violations at businesses, including shopping centers and strip malls, to PGC311.
  Strip mall in violation: photos show HVAC unit that should be on the top of a building sitting in the parking lot; patched concrete at the base of a support beam; and overgrown weeds stretching around electrical boxes.
 Permit Center Manager Clarence Moseley, center left, assists a homeowner with a permit question on a recent Wednesday afternoon.
As you prepare your property for fall, correct any code violations and other maintenance issues. Join DPIE as we support Growing Green with Pride Day on Saturday, October 15, 2022. Visit the event page for more information.
 Fall 2022 Community Partners Meeting
 DPIE, DoE and DPW&T collaborated on the Fall 2022 Virtual Community Partners’ Meeting on September 28. Each agency presented information about programs, services and new initiatives. Access the presentations for all three agencies here or by clicking the above cover.
Third-Thursday Community Information Session: Open Forum
 Our September Third-Thursday Community Information Session included a short presentation followed by an open forum. Access the PowerPoint presentation, entitled "Open Forum," by clicking the link or the above cover slide.
  DPIE is holding a monthly contest where we share a photo that contains a property violation of Prince George's County Code. The first person to respond with the correct answer will win one of DPIE's large (13"x10"x15") insulated grocery tote bags with a zipper closure, and your name in next month's Under Construction newsletter.*
*DPIE employees and their family members are not eligible to enter in this promotion.
Carefully study QUIZ PHOTO # 10 below and "Name that Violation" by emailing your best guess to DPIEpio@co.pg.md.us.
DPIE Congratulates
Apple Grove—Squires Woods
Community Association
for correctly identifying the violation
in photo number 9 (shown at right)
in last month's issue of Under Construction.
The answer is shown in the image below.
(DPIE added the ordinance from County Code.)
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DPIE welcomes the following new hires and congratulates them on joining the team! The new staffers have shared some information to help us get to know them and their start dates.
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Sidnei Ernest, Enforcement Division — Property Standards Inspector, 09/12/2022
Sidnei attended Bowie State University and majored in Business Marketing. She has experience in property management and is experiencing a seamless transition from the Director's Office, where she worked as a temporary administrative aide, into the role of property standards inspector.
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Haile Gebretsadik, P.E., Site/Road Plan Review Division — Engineer, 09/26/2022
Haile grew up in Tigray in Ethiopia. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of the District of Columbia and a Master of Engineering in Project Management from the University of Maryland. He enjoys watching soccer.
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DPIE promoted the following employees in September 2022. We would like to recognize and congratulate them for their hard work and commitment to our agency. Keep up the great work!
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Jerod Briscoe, Environmental Health Specialist 3A, 09/11/2022
Jerod is part of the Health Review Section team. He started working at DPIE in 2015.
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Joaquin Martinez, Engineering Technician 3A, 09/25/2022
Joaquin works in the Homeowners and Mega Projects Suite. He started working at DPIE in 2020.
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Irfanullah Irfan, Engineer 1G, 09/25/2022
Irfanullah was transferred from the Permitting and Licensing Division to the Site/Road Plan Review Division. He started working at DPIE in 2020.
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