Community Liaison Council Meeting Minutes

March 19, 2009; 4:10 to 6:00 PM
Visitor Information Center, Building 45 (Natcher Building)
Conference Room D
National Institutes of Health

ANNOUNCEMENTS—Dennis Coleman, OCL Director, CLC Co-Chair; and Ginny Miller, CLC Co-Chair

• Mr. Coleman introduced 2 members of the Montgomery County Police Department, who had come to speak to the CLC:  Lieutenant Michael Price and Officer Dana Matthis. He also welcomed
  Jeannette Wade, who is the alternate representative from Whitehall, taking the place of Jean Harnish, who is moving out of the area.

• The county will send a member of the Western Montgomery County Citizens’ Advisory Board, Sally Kaplan (who replaces Deborah Snead), to CLC meetings.

• Mr. Coleman distributed copies of the summary of the NIH Director’s Biennial Report. Details of NIH’s thousands of biomedical projects can be found in the full report, which is available at http://biennialreport.nih.gov” and which contains links to NIH programs, plans, and publications referenced in the report.

• The NIH Office of the Director has launched a “Go Green” effort.

• NIH has begun a series of tele-work training sessions for managers and supervisors.

• The 2 cigarette receptacles at the perimeter that were stolen have been replaced, but they seem not to be chained down. Ms. Hildebrand reported seeing many cigarette butts by the bike lockers. Mr. Moss thinks Metro is responsible for maintenance of that area; Mr. Coleman will ask about this.

• On March 16, Montgomery County launched its annual street-sweeping campaign.

• Montgomery County endorsed a March 28 “Vote Earth” symbolic campaign in which, between 8:00 and 9:00 PM, residents can vote for or against global warming by turning lights off (a vote against) or leaving lights on (a vote for). Results will be collected by satellite.

• April 3 from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, the National Science Advisory Board for Public Security will convene a meeting at the Pooks Hill Marriott to discuss what needs to be done to better check credentials and reliability of biolab workers.

• Nanotechnology Week will be celebrated April 7 and 8 at NIH in the Natcher Building.

• April 2 at the Bethesda–Chevy Chase High School gym, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, the State Highway Administration will convene a meeting to discuss the 4 intersections they want to improve. Ms. Miller will be there and is especially concerned about fire truck access at an intersection near her house and the Walter Johnson house. Ms. Michaels encouraged everyone to attend to see what they propose; the Highway Administration is looking for input and “we are the ones who walk it, drive it, live it.”

• March 23, a 3-month project will be undertaken to resurface a half mile of Maryland route 355 (Rockville Pike) between Hubbard Drive and Halpine Road. They hope to complete construction by late summer 2009.

• Every Saturday the Montgomery County Fire Department will provide a free service to install and check smoke detectors in residents’ houses.

• NIH will enforce the $55 fine + $25 processing fee + towing charges for parking in fire lanes.

• The Police Department has sent a notice warning residents to be alert to unregistered and unauthorized door-to-door people soliciting donations for various causes.

• A report in the packet distributed to CLC members clears up last month’s confusion about NIH’s input to the National Capital Planning Commission’s review of plans at the National Naval Medical Center (NNMC) for Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) plans.

• “Bring Your Child to Work Day” will soon be here.

• The commander at NNMC has received another star and is now a 2-star admiral.

INFORMATION FORUM
District 2 Crime Overview— Lieutenant Michael Price, Deputy Commander, MCPD
The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) is divided into 6 numbered districts, each bounded so that all receive about the same amount of calls, and each with its own station. Bethesda is included district #2, a district that extends from Sixteenth Street to River Road and the Potomac River. It is a traditionally deployed or community-based station, i.e., officers routinely work the day, evening, or midnight shift. There are 7 beats, geographic locations a particular officer patrols. Traditionally based policing can address frequently occurring problems, e.g., domestic violence, but it is labor intensive. By contrast, district #3 (Silver Spring) has geography-based deployment in which teams of 4 to 6 officers cover a particular beat (versus 14 or 15 officers who work shifts).

District 2 Crime Prevention Programs—Officer Dana Matthis, Community Service Officer, MCPD
Officer Matthis is the liaison between the 2nd District Police Station (7359 Wisconsin Avenue) and the communities they serve. Her job is to find out the communities’ concerns and problems and then match them with police department resources. She also is involved in educating people about how to make themselves safer, and building relationships within communities, e.g., Neighborhood Watch programs. One of MCPD’s programs is the free movies offered to seniors once a month, which includes a program that addresses safety issues relevant to this population. In addition to learning the safety tips, the movie allows people to establish a relationship with police officers. Often people do not call the police because they don’t want to bother them, but the police need to know what’s going on and they need citizens to be their eyes and ears. Officer Matthis encouraged people to use 911 for emergencies and 301-279-8000 for non-emergencies. But, she cautioned, do not call the 2nd District Station because they do not dispatch officers; they will transfer you to the Centralized Communication Center that does dispatch officers. Another program, which is county-wide, gives seniors free cell phones that call 911 only so they can report things and feel safer. Cell phone recipients are cautioned to remember to keep the cell phone charged and to let the police know their exact location when they call because the call will go to the nearest cell phone tower, which could be in another jurisdiction.

Bethesda enjoys one of the lowest crime rates in this district and county, but spring brings increases in particular kinds of crimes, e.g., people casing houses to break into them by delivering flyers for various businesses and services. Officer Matthis advised, “trust your instinct—you don’t have to wait for a crime to occur before calling the police.” People should lock their doors with a deadbolt and should not open the door to anyone they are not expecting. If the person needs assistance, call the police to come and help them. In spring, people often work on their yards and may be engaged in conversation with someone in the front while a burglar breaks into the back of the house. To make an appointment with an officer to come to your house and recommend how to make home patterns safer inside and outside, call Officer Matthis at 301-657-0119 (her office) or 240-876-1277 (her cell phone), or call the 2nd District Station and ask for her. She asked CLC members to share this information with neighbors who could benefit.

Around the immediate area (toward Old Georgetown Road, the west side of Wisconsin Avenue, and Democracy Boulevard to the Beltway), the largest increase in crime is theft from vehicles. Officer Matthis warned people not to leave valuables in vehicles even when parked in your own driveway. Thieves are looking for anything they can sell—GPS, iPods, money, laptops, airbags, etc. Ms. Volz wondered how you know if your airbag has been stolen. Officer Matthis assured her that the theft leaves a gaping hole. And, she suggested that anyone who had bought a used car have it checked with their mechanic.

Discussion

Remote Locking. Mr. Schofer asked whether a thief can pick up the signal from a remote car-locking device and then use that signal to unlock other cars Neither Officer Matthis nor Lieutenant Price had heard of this. Neither have thieves been able to use signals from garage openers. Most commonly, thieves steal things from unlocked cars or from cars whose windows they break. In fact, Lieutenant Price said, some people walk through a parking lot just trying door handles until they find one that’s open, then pick up change or whatever is readily at hand. It’s a crime of opportunity.

Transient Criminal Groups. Office Matthis went on to assure Ms. Volz and the group that indeed “gypsies,” more accurately known as transient criminal groups, are still out there wanting to do home repairs, e.g., roofing or asphalt repair. She advised homeowners to check workmen’s references and to call Consumer Affairs to find out what a reasonable price is (“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”) and whether the company is a legitimate business. More and more often women and children are involved in these scams. People could have legitimate reasons to be in your neighborhood, but could also be using that reason to commit crimes. Furthermore, it is not possible to judge by appearances, e.g., there was a rash of break-ins in which the door had been kicked in, but no reports of suspicious people in the neighborhood. It turned out that a man with a cast on his leg was the culprit, and after his arrest everyone recognized him but thought he couldn’t have been kicking in doors with a broken leg. Officer Matthis reminded everyone that they can report anonymously or can say they don’t want to be visited. The police respond to all calls.

Neighborhood Watch. These programs began in urban areas in the 1970s, and since then have changed and been revitalized. Now it is a community program that requires a police liaison, a community liaison, and block captains. Each block captain should be responsible for no more than 10 residences, getting information to and from them to take back to the community liaison. Members of programs don’t have to patrol, but rather be good neighbors. That means knowing your neighbors’ names and what kind of cars they drive and calling the police if something suspicious happens. For example, you should tell 1 or 2 trusted neighbors that you will be out of town, and that neighbor should walk around the house while you are gone. People have to come together collectively as a group. And, teenagers should be included in these programs—they are a great source of information. A community network may have a list-serve to convey incidents, e.g., burglaries (without the person’s name or address unless that person wants to share his or her experience). The purpose is to facilitate people’s awareness of patterns and trends of crime in their neighborhood. Neighborhood Watch programs are tailored to the community; large communities can be divided into manageable sized groups. Officer Matthis recommends that a program not be focused only on crime because when that crime problem disappears, so will the Neighborhood Watch group. Goals may also include quality or life issues. Neighborhood Watch signs are still put up free of charge, but signs do nothing without community involvement. Ms. Lueders reported some people who were upset by the appearance of Neighborhood Watch signs because they thought it implied that the neighborhood was experiencing crime. Training involves a series of meetings for a total of 9 hours. It covers what is suspicious activity and how to increase observations skills, residential security (doors, windows, lighting), gang activity in the area, what to expect when you call the police, and some wrap-up activities.

Patrol Cars. Several CLC members recalled seeing police officers patrol their area more frequently in the past, but now they seldom see them. Officer Matthis explained that the patrol officers’ first responsibility is to respond to requests for service, and most 911 calls require more than 1 officer. After responding to emergency calls, officers respond to non-emergency calls. Then, officers patrol each neighborhood. Officer Matthis assured everyone that officers are driving around 10 hours per day and most officers assigned to a beat really know their beat well. Lieutenant Price suggested calling the District Station and asking for extra patrol, but that something should generate that call—you will be away or more theft is occurring. If there is no particular concern, police officers will probably be directed elsewhere. Officer Matthis agreed—the best way to get police to your neighborhood is to report things that are happening.

Bethesda. Newspapers seem to be reporting more crime in downtown Bethesda, but the police see no actual increase in incidents. Central Business District (CBD) officers are assigned to downtown Bethesda.

Bicycle Patrols. Ms. Michaels encouraged the idea that more officers be on bike patrol, especially with the increased traffic congestion. Lieutenant Price said a group of officers is dedicated to the CBD, and the majority of time they use bikes. The MCPD is offering a class in May for interested officers; several have inquired, even a few on the midnight shift. Staffing and neighborhood concerns apply to mode of transportation—if officers have to get from Old Georgetown Road and the Beltway, a bicycle is not practical.

Officers Living in the Neighborhood. Ms. Voltz suggested that the downturn in housing prices would make living here more affordable and it would behoove realtors to contact police departments to encourage their officers to move to neighborhood—visibility matters, she said. Officer Matthis said that neighbors are not always so happy to have police living in the neighborhood and cited an example of one group that asked an officer not to park in front of the officer’s own house.

NIH. Mr. Coleman explained that NIH will not become responsible for local crime prevention, but that this forum is to be used to create contacts so communities can set up their own programs.

On-line Resources. Resources for crime prevention information and crime statistics are the weekly updates, which can be accessed at <www.montgomerycountymd.gov> and <www.crimereports.com>. The former shows trends and significant incidents by district. The latter gives calls for service made for a particular address, town, or zip code throughout the United States. In addition, Officer Ritch, of the NIH Police, has Officer Matthis’s contact information. Officer Matthis welcomed feedback and dialogue to find new ways and new ideas.

FACILITIES
Lincoln Drive Steam Line Replacement Project—Ivan Locke, Project Officer, ORF
Steam lines will be replaced in the southwest corner of the campus behind MLP-6, MLP-8, and Building 34, near McKinley Street. One leak may be temporarily repaired, but the whole line is corroding. Steam lines are embedded 7 to 8 feet deep in a 4-foot-wide by 4-foot-high concrete tunnel, so the concrete tunnel will have to be replaced, and some valves will be relocated. The steam line is about 7 feet from the sidewalk on the grass. Lincoln Drive or the service road may have to be closed. Construction should last about 3 months, but it may take 4 to 6 months to do everything, including relocating and replanting trees.

Potential impacts to the neighbors include rerouting the NIH Shuttle that runs behind ML-8, rerouting MLP-8 parking traffic, general construction noise, and noise during installation of shoring. Noise will be mitigated by the distance of project area from the neighbors and by the buildings between the project area and the neighborhood. There probably will not be much night work, and they are considering alternatives to hammer-driven shoring, such as vibratory-driven and static-push shoring. Currently the project is not funded, but federal stimulus money may be available. If they get funding, they could start in 3 months. Once the design is finalized, Mr. Locke will update the CLC.

Discussion
Both entrances to the parking lot would remain open, although pedestrian traffic may be a concern. The engineering firm will look into parking and traffic flow. This tunnel is big enough to maintain but not to walk through. They will be digging up the whole length, possibly in phases, and then re-pouring concrete, re-setting lids, and backfilling. The steam lines are to be replaced in kind, not make larger.

Many trees will be relocated and then new trees will be planted when the project is finished, so NIH will end up with more trees.

South Lawn Update—Ivan Locke, ORF
For the South Lawn Improvement Project, they will focus on the plan in which the gas and electricity lines have to be crossed. This will run the drainage line between the 2 lines rather than near the fence, and will save the trees. They have started by learning the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) requirements. When DEP signs off on the NIH plan, Mr. Locke will verify the easements needed. Then the engineering firm will prepare a partial set of plans so the county and CLC can review them. They need NIH funding and Montgomery County funding, then coordination with Montgomery County, arrangement of easements, approvals, review, etc. Mr. Locke does not know when the project will start or finish, but work can be done on it in the winter.

ENVIRONMENT
No topic this month

TRANSPORTATION
Lot 41 Storage Review—Susan Hilton, Site Coordination/Space Management, ORF
Postponed to the next meeting.

SPECIAL PROJECTS
No topic this month

INFORMATION FORUM
OCL Presentation to CDC Conference of Biolab Managers—Dennis Coleman, OCL Director, CLC Co-Chair
Mr. Coleman showed the 3 slides he presented during introductory remarks he was invited to provide for a panel discussion on “High Containment and the Public".  This panel was part of the CDC's recent (1/27/09 & 1/28/09) Conference on "Advanced Topics in Managing High Containment Laboratories". 

Since most agencies in attendance do not hold regular meetings with the public, Mr. Coleman kept his remarks simple and generic.  Audience members in fact mentioned out that the points made could foster mutual understanding in any situation involving interaction between government agencies and the public.  CLC members will recognize the recommended approach since they see it applied at CLC meetings.  Based on audience reaction and the constructive discussion that followed, the presentation was well received and may have triggered consideration of community liaison groups by at least some of the biolab managers in attendance.

The overall title slide spoke for itself; namely, Effective Public Interaction Can Help Show that Agency and Public Interests Are Reasonably Balanced.  The slides identified 3 elements conducive to effective public interaction.  These elements were based on Mr. Coleman's 30 years of technical, agency and elected office experience.

Element #1:  Establish good faith and credibility with a factual and transparent playing field. This is done by minimizing subjective influences such as public rumor and agency posturing; focusing on facts and issues that can be discerned, articulated, analyzed, and resolved; and avoiding decisions that appear arbitrary and capricious.  The latter is achieved by agencies and the public articulating reasons for whatever positions are taken.  This approach is facilitated by both sides simply getting in the habit of saying "because" whenever they make declarative or conclusive statements.

Element #2.  Make interaction between the public and the agency worthwhile for both sides. The basis of this element is that everyone involved has a stake or they would not be involved.  Process fatigue or futility can defeat the purpose of an agency/public interface when interaction occurs with little or nothing to show for it.  This situation wastes time and effort and eventually breeds confusion, frustration, and distrust among the parties.  Even minor progress or concession can show that parties are listening to each other and demonstrate that the proceedings are not merely perfunctory.  Producing at least something for each side of an agency/public interface results in process respect, which in turn breeds mutual respect among parties.

Element #3.  Both agencies and the public should avoid attitudes and conduct that compromise their position in each other's eye.  Agencies have been known to resort to not listening, undue secrecy, perfunctory processes, and an overemphasis on “happy" talk or "we know what's good for you" talk.  On the other hand, the public can be driven by anger or fear of what the agency does, unwillingness to learn about the issues they claim to care about, and an irrational emphasis on crises or low probability events without acknowledging contingency or mitigation steps the agency may have taken.  The two sides should respect each other since each has at least some clout.  The agency may have resources and decision making authority, but they have no recourse against the public.  The public may have regulation and litigation on its side, but it tends to lack resources and authority.

These simple concepts struck some CDC conference attendees as inspired thinking, but the concepts are self evident to anyone who considers how they would like to be treated in an agency/public interface situation.  The key point is that each side of an interface is fully capable of listening and standing in the other side's shoes.  When both sides make a good faith effort to do that, disputes can be managed and the interface is less likely to lose credibility or become adversarial.  In short, the presentation title rang true for CDC conference attendees.  Effective community interface can indeed help show that public and agency interests are reasonably balanced.

ADJOURNMENT
Meeting adjourned at 6:00 PM. Next meeting:  April 16, 2009

PARTICIPANTS

CLC Members
Marian Bradford, Camelot Mews
Lesley Hildebrand, Huntington Terrace
Darrell Lemke, Parkview
Marilyn Mazuzan, Oakmont
Deborah Michaels, Glenbrook Village
Ginny Miller, Wyngate
George Oberlander, Huntington Parkway
Lucy Ozarin, MD, Whitehall
Ralph Schofer, Maplewood
Beth Volz, Locust Hill
Jeannette Wade, Whitehall

NIH Staff
Amy Blackburn, ORF
Dennis Coleman, OCL
Susan Hinton, ORF
Ivan Locke, ORF
Brad Moss, ORS
Officer John Ritch, ORS
Sharon Robinson, OCL
Ron Wilson, ORF

NIH Alumi Association
Kira Lueders

Guest
Lieutenant Michael Price, Montgomery County Police Department
Officer Dana Matthis, Montgomery County Police Department
Winfield Swanson, Audio Associates

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