Crime

County Works to Thwart Illegal Trash Dumping

THE AFRO — In early April, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser spent a leisurely Wednesday afternoon walking along the boundary that separates their communities and vowed to attack the problem of illegal trash dumping.

Published

7 years ago

May 20, 2019

Oakland Post

By Mark F. Gray

In early April, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser spent a leisurely Wednesday afternoon walking along the boundary that separates their communities and vowed to attack the problem of illegal trash dumping.

Last weekend, the efforts to put the clamps on the nasty scheme began as Prince George’s County Police used tips from local business owners to put a halt to an illegal dumping incident on Cryden Way near Marlboro Pike. The secret operation was part of an elaborate sting setup and executed under the watch of County Police Chief Hank Stawinski.

“Our business owners were tired of walking out of their businesses and seeing piles of trash that belonged in a dump and not across from their places of work,” Stawinski said in a statement issued by the Police Department. “ We took that tip and showed up under the cover of night and caught two construction trucks on the verge of dumping more trash, but we stopped it.”

With officers watching from the scene, two trucks full of construction trash arrived to the area and the drivers were in the process of unloading their nasty freight when they were stopped by police during this clandestine operation, according to the report. Police also said both suspects, who were arrested at the scene, had outstanding arrest warrants for traffic violations.

“We want our community to know that we take your tips seriously,” Stawinski added. “We embrace County Executive Alsobrooks’ mandate to keep our neighborhoods free of trash. We are all proud of where we work and live and we are putting illegal dumpers on notice. If you illegally dump commercial trash in our neighborhoods, you will face arrest.”

Last month Alsobrooks warned that the County would step the intensity up on illegal dumpers and that those caught could face prosecution. Prince George’s County has set up hidden cameras which have been placed throughout the area in a bid to catch those who have been illegally dumping commercial trash in neighborhoods.

May 4 was Prince George’s County’s 1st Annual “Growing Green With Pride Day” and ironically it proved to be the day where the first busts were made in their commercial clean up effort, although Stawinski warned potential illegal dumpers need to be aware that they will be vigilant every day of the year, as the County has stepped up its efforts to stop illegal dumping.

“We likewise are installing cameras to make sure that we are capturing the images of individuals who have chosen to illegally dump on either side,” Alsobrooks said after she took the walk with Mayor Bowser last month.

The County Executive was recently successful in passing legislation that targets the illegal dumping of bulky items that have been affecting communities. The new legislation defines the type of targeted items and establishes a new penalty for individuals convicted of violating the new law. Also, ten new hidden cameras have been installed throughout the County to catch people illegally dumping.

Police are still investigating other communities who may be targeted for the illegal commercial disposal.

The inaugural “Growing Green With Pride Day” on May 4 was a County-wide planting and clean-up day and the culmination of the launch to the County’s beautification campaign between the hours of 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. Once the resident volunteers finished their work, they were treated to a free appreciation picnic to celebrate the efforts of all the volunteers at Watkins Regional Park.

This article originally appeared in The Afro.

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Oakland Post: Week of December 24 – 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 24 – 30, 2025

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6 days ago

December 25, 2025

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

Oakland Council Expands Citywide Security Cameras Despite Major Opposition

In a 7-1 vote in favor of the contract, with only District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife voting no, the Council agreed to maintain its existing network of 291 cameras and add 40 new “pan-tilt-zoom cameras.”

Published

1 week ago

December 21, 2025

Oakland Post

At the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference, Flock Safety introduces new public safety technology – Amplified Intelligence, a suite of AI-powered tools designed to improve law enforcement investigations. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

The Oakland City Council this week approved a $2.25 million contract with Flock Safety for a mass surveillance network of hundreds of security cameras to track vehicles in the city.

In recent weeks hundreds of local residents have spoken against the camera system, raising concerns that data will be shared with immigration authorities and other federal agencies at a time when mass surveillance is growing across the country with little regard for individual rights.

The Flock network, supported by the Oakland Police Department, has the backing of residents and councilmembers who see it as an important tool to protect public safety.

“This system makes the Department more efficient as it allows for information related to disruptive/violent criminal activities to be captured … and allows for precise and focused enforcement,” OPD wrote in its proposal to City Council.

According to OPD, police made 232 arrests using data from Flock cameras between July 2024 and November of this year.

Based on the data, police say they recovered 68 guns, and utilizing the countywide system, they have found 1,100 stolen vehicles.

However, Flock’s cameras cast a wide net. The company’s cameras in Oakland last month captured license plate numbers and other information from about 1.4 million vehicles.

Speaking at Tuesday’s Council meeting, Fife was critical of her colleagues for signing a contract with a company that has been in the national spotlight for sharing data with federal agencies.

Flock’s cameras – which are automated license plate readers – have been used in tracking people who have had abortions, monitoring protesters, and aiding in deportation roundups.

“I don’t know how we get up and have several press conferences talking about how we are supportive of a sanctuary city status but then use a vendor that has been shown to have a direct relationship with (the U.S.) Border Control,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”

Several councilmembers who voted in favor of the contract said they supported the deal as long as some safeguards were written into the Council’s resolution.

“We’re not aiming for perfection,” said District 1 Councilmember Zac Unger. “This is not Orwellian facial recognition technology — that’s prohibited in Oakland. The road forward here is to add as many amendments as we can.”

Amendments passed by the Council prohibit OPD from sharing camera data with any other agencies for the purpose of “criminalizing reproductive or gender affirming healthcare” or for federal immigration enforcement. California state law also prohibits the sharing of license plate reader data with the federal government, and because Oakland’s sanctuary city status, OPD is not allowed to cooperate with immigration authorities.

A former member of Oakland’s Privacy Advisory Commission has sued OPD, alleging that it has violated its own rules around data sharing.

So far, OPD has shared Flock data with 50 other law enforcement agencies.