Bruce Williams comments on new chief
Editor's note: The following is the summary of a meeting with Takoma Park Police Chief Ronald Ricucci. It was written by Takoma Park City Councilmember Bruce Williams.
I'd like to provide a short update on last night's meeting of Chief Ricucci and Lieutenant Collington with residents and business owners at the home of Jen Wofford and Dan Seligman. Business owners were there from TJ Market, the Coop, Salon 2000, the computer shop, and the postal/business center. Mayor Porter and Councilmember Austin-Lane were also there. There was a total of about 30 people in attendance.
The Chief talked about his background and his experience in law enforcement
for 38 years.
He talked about the approach that he knows works—for the police and the community to work in partnership to prevent and to solve crime.
He promised that bicycle patrols will start again in about six weeks, and that they will continue year round except for icy/snowy weather.
He promised that we will see officers in the community more, and that they will get out of their cars.
He also promised that we will get much more communication from the department, in a more timely fashion—witness the press releases that I have been forwarding and the coverage in the media including the excellent quality video from last Friday's robbery.
He spoke about some programs that he has established elsewhere that have worked, including citizen academies, and various programs for and partnerships with youth.
In response to questions, he talked about their current special shifts in the Old Town area including the Junction—there are extra officers on the street in cars and on foot from morning until evening. The officers are also being proactive in approaching people who fit the description of the suspects in the recent cases.
The Chief encourages anyone with any suspicions about a person or a situation to call the police and report it—there are always times when people think it is no big thing, or it is too much bother, to call the police.
In an emergency, you should call 911, and in a non-emergency you should call the dispatcher at 301-270-1100. Calling from a land-line assures a better chance of reaching the correct 911 center than if you are calling from a cell phone because in border areas, the cell might connect you to an adjacent jurisdiction's center.
— Bruce Williams