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Thursday, December 18, 2025 | Special Edition: Focused on Public Safety |
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 A Message from the County Executive
Dear Prince Georgians,
We’re delivering a unified public safety strategy and operation in Prince George’s County, and we have made significant progress in reducing crime in our community. Our County’s public safety cluster is working closely with municipal public safety partners and with the Park Police on strategic crime prevention initiatives and maintaining timely responses to calls for service, ultimately delivering safer communities for our families.
On Monday, December 15th, I joined Police Chief George Nader, Assistant Police Chief George Nichols, Sheriff John Carr, and Deputy Chief Administrative Officer (DCAO) for Public Safety Melvin Powell, and members of our police department and other public safety agencies to announce 72 recruits - our largest recruitment class in nearly 10 years. Recruitment and maintaining growth in the ranks of public safety is critically important to our overall public safety and crime prevention strategy. We recently graduated 45 police officers, 24 firefighters, and 22 correctional officers.
I believe our ability to attract people to the department is a testament to the strong, homegrown leadership team in our public safety agencies. Chief Nader and Assistant Chief Nichols have sent a clear message to the community that those who feel called to serve Prince George’s are welcome. They have created an environment in the department that has improved moral, improved productivity, and attracted recruits from neighboring jurisdictions, like the six new experienced police officers who were recently sworn in. Another important development is our recently renewed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between our Police Department and Sheriff's Office, ensuring Sheriff’s Deputies can quickly respond to domestic violence calls in two police districts with high volume of domestic violence calls.
This December, we also continued the Bill Milligan Food Basket Program, a tradition begun over 40-years ago to assist County families during the holiday season. After his death, the program was renamed for Bill Milligan, who dedicated years of his time and care to the program for over 35 years. Please continue to follow our journey on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, YouTube, Nextdoor, and Flickr.
Prince George's County Executive
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Crime is Down📉, and We’re Growing! 📈
As of December 15, 2025
For the first time in almost 10 years, the PGPD has seen its first net gain of officers in the department. Last week, I joined Police Chief George Nader, Sheriff John Carr, and DCAO for Public Safety Melvin Powell to announce our 2025 Progress Report on crime. We also revealed our law enforcement agencies' 72 recruits, our largest recruitment class we’ve seen in recent years. 55 of the new recruits are headed to PGPD, 12 are headed to municipal forces, and 5 are headed to the Sheriff’s Office. Over the past 6 months of my administration, PGPD has seen a 67% increase in hiring of officers, as a result of our streamlined hiring process.
We are proud of the significant work we have done to drive crime down in the County. It takes strategic collaboration to continue to have a growing and thriving department. The strong leadership we have in the PGPD has sent a message: “You are welcome to join our force.” I also want to thank community members who have been involved in making our communities safer through accountability and community engagement as we “elevate Prince George’s”!
If you or someone you know feels called to serve and protect the County, learn more at: pgpolice.org. ✅
Congratulations to Session 154B! Just recently, PGPD welcomed 6 experienced police officers, recruited from neighboring jurisdictions, all of whom are ready to serve and protect Prince George’s County. Please join me in congratulating the newest graduates of the Experienced Police Officer Academy! I am proud to have them join our police force, and I am grateful for the work Chief Nader and Assistant Chief Nichols have done to improve overall morale and productivity within the department. Again, this is the first year in nearly a decade that we have seen a net gain in police officers.
Are you an experienced police officer seeking change? The Prince George’s County Police Department is hiring! Enjoy the benefits: fast-track hiring (just 6 weeks), pension of up to 85%, lifetime health insurance, and much more! Learn more at: pgpolice.org. ✅
Congratulations to CRS 71! Recently, 24 firefighters and emergency responders have completed a badge pinning, swearing-in, and graduation ceremony. I am excited to welcome our newest PGFD class to the Prince George's County Fire and EMS Department. These brave men and women have taken an oath to protect, serve, and uplift our communities. We couldn't be more grateful for their dedication to #excellenceineverything. I am already looking forward to the graduations of Career Recruit Schools 72 and 73, classes that are currently in training.
Start your career with PGFD today. Visit www.joinpgfd.com to learn more and connect with a recruiter! ✅
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Congratulations CELT 2925-3, our 22 new DOC privates and civilian graduates! It was truly an honor to join Department of Corrections Director Terence Clark and the new graduating class at the Department of Corrections. The 22 graduates successfully completed a rigorous 10-week program designed to prepare them for the responsibility of ensuring safety and accountability in their care for persons at the Department of Corrections. The class was composed of 17 officers and 5 institutional support staff.
The finest public safety organizations and a comprehensive crime-prevention strategy remain among the top priorities of my administration, and the progress we are making is a reflection of my administration’s commitment in action. We’re delivering on my commitment to a safer, stronger Prince George's County.
If you or someone you know feels called to serve and protect the County, learn more about DOC at: corrections.mypgc.us.✅
This week's kickoff ceremony of the Bill Milligan Food Basket Program marked the 41st anniversary of the Public Safety Assistance Program (PSAP) - the countywide food basket distribution during the holiday season. The program is a journey that began rich with compassion and commitment. This year, we continued to celebrate and honor the legacy of Bill Milligan and his support of the program. Milligan served tirelessly as the Executive Director of the Public Safety Assistance Program for 34 years before his passing in 2019. Bill embodied the spirit of selflessness and devotion to our community; his legacy lives on through this program.
It fills my heart with joy and gratitude to see our Public Safety cluster continue to come together in this meaningful way on a project that has a profound impact on the lives of Prince George's County residents. Made possible by compassionate donations, immediately following the ceremony, public safety officials began delivering baskets directly to residents at the Emerson House in Bladensburg and the Victory House in Palmer Park. Additional distributions to Prince George’s County families all across the County are planned through December.
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