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Q. What Phone Number Should I Call To Get The Police?
A. If your
call is of an Emergency
Nature, requiring immediate police response, DIAL
911.
If your call is not an emergency, but you would like a Berwyn
Heights Police Officer to respond to your location for any reason, Call
the Police Dispatcher at the
Non-Emergency Number of (301) 333-4000. If
you just want to speak to an officer, Call the Berwyn Heights Police
Administrative Office at (301) 474-6554. The Admin Office is
staffed Monday - Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. After Hours
you can leave your number on the Officer's Voice Mailbox, and your
call will be returned later.
Q. What Phone Number Should I Call To Report Code Violations,
or to Respond to a Code Enforcement Violation Notice That I Received?
A. The
Berwyn Heights Office of Code Enforcement is based at the Town Hall.
The Code Enforcement Officer can be reached at (301)
474-5000
during normal business hours.
Q. What Can I Do About a Dog That is Constantly Barking?
A. It is
the nature of a dog to protect his "home" by barking to
ward off strangers; however repetitive barking is not only
unnecessary, but also annoying to those
who live within earshot. If you are being disturbed by
excessive dog barking, call the police department at the Non-Emergency
Number listed above and an officer will respond to the home of the
barking dog to speak to it's owners. If the problem is
continual, or if you feel that it has become more of a "neighbor
dispute" than just an isolated incident, you should contact the
Prince Georges County Office
of Mediation at (301) 883-6170, to see if they can help.
Q. We Are Going Out of Town for A Week, and Nobody will Be Home
While We're Gone. Will the Police Department Watch Our House?
A. One of
the advantages of living in a municipality which has it's own police
force, is the "personalized" service not offered by larger
agencies. The Berwyn Heights Police Department offers a free
"House Watch" Program to all town residents. While
you are away, an officer will check the exterior of your house at
least once on every patrol shift, time permitting. Although the
police department cannot
guarantee that you home will not broken into while you are away, we
will make every effort to "keep an eye" on it in between
other calls for service. You can fill out a House
Watch Request Form
on the internet by Clicking
Here.
Q. What Can I we do about a Loud Party or Loud Music coming
from our Neighbor's House?
A.
This type of call is always a problem for police officers because
every homeowner at some time or another, wants to have a party at
their house, and music or noise that may seem loud to one neighbor,
may not seem to bother anyone else. Likewise, Police Officers
hate to be the ones to "spoil anyone's party," and as
such, will use discretion when deciding whether or not the music
seems too loud. For example, a backyard party at 2pm on the
Fourth of July will certainly be given more latitude than one being
held at 2am on a weekday night. If in the officer's opinion
however, the music or noise from the party appears to be so loud that
it is bothering the neighborhood, the person conducting the party
will be asked to "tone it down." If the offending
noise or music is not reduced, or if complaints continue to come in,
the party will be shut down by the police department.
(Homeowners who refuse to reduce the noise of parties, or who fail to
end a party when ordered to do so by the police department, run the
risk of being arrested for Disturbance of the Peace and/or
Maintaining a Disorderly House.) This of course is a last
resort measure, which police officers prefer not to be forced to
do. Rather, they prefer that homeowners comply with requests to
keep music and noise down to a reasonable level, and at the same
time, enjoy a friendly relationship with their neighbors.
(Hint: If you are having the party, be sure to invite all of
your neighbors. People are less likely to complain if they
don't feel like "outcasts!") Click
Here to read the laws and ordinances relating
to Noise and Disorderly Conduct.
Q. I Got a Parking Ticket for "Left Wheels To Curb,"
What Does That Mean?
A. In
the State of Maryland, all vehicles are required to be parked with
the Passenger (Right) Side parallel to the curb, so that when the
vehicle pulls out from it's parked position, it is traveling in the
same direction as other traffic on that side of the street.
(The exception to this rule is for vehicles that are parked on
One-Way Streets, or at the dead end of "Courts" or
"Cul-de-Sacs.") Vehicles which park Left Wheels to
Curb are not only creating a traffic hazard when pulling out, but
breaking the law as well. The Town of Berwyn Heights, like many
other jurisdictions who care about the safety of their residents and
their visitors, enforces the Left Wheels to Curb law by the issuance
of a parking ticket, with a Fine of $25.00.
Q. My Neighbor Keeps Parking His Car on the Street in Front of
My House, Can't You Do Something About It?
A.
Actually, no. Since Public Roadways are just that,
"public," no one has the right to reserve spaces in front
of his or her house. However, while it is not illegal to park
in front of someone else's house, it is certainly inconsiderate.
Every homeowner likes the convenience of being able to park in front
of their own house, and families who have an unusual amount of
automobiles should make arrangements to park the extra vehicles
someplace other than in front of someone else's house.
On the other hand,
if you encounter a vehicle, which is parking in front of your house
for excessive periods of time without moving, you can call the police
department and ask to have the vehicle checked out. (If you
don't recognize the vehicle and it hasn't moved for a long time, it
may be stolen.) If the vehicle is registered to a neighbor who
lives adjacent to your house, the owner is not
violating any laws. If on the other hand, the vehicle belongs
to someone who does not live adjacent to your house, and it remains
in it's parked position for more than 72 Hours, it can be ticketed,
and in some cases, towed away, for violating the Town's 72-Hour
Parking Ordinance. Of course, the best course of measure to
take for this type of problem is to talk to your neighbor, and to try
to work it out without involving the police. You can also
request assistance from the Office
of Mediation at (301) 883-6170.
Q. Recently I Got a Warning Notice on my Car for being Parked
in the Lake Artemesia Parking Lot at 10 pm, How Come?
A. ALL
Parks and Park Land in Prince Georges County are CLOSED AT DARK,
unless a sanctioned event is taking place. As such, anyone
found on Park Property after hours is Trespassing and Subject to
Arrest, and any vehicles found parked on Park Property after hours
are subject to a Citation and Impoundment. Since most people fail to
read the rules and regulations, which are posted at the entrance to
all parks, the Berwyn Heights Police Department has an unofficial
policy to issue Warning Notices on vehicles found parked on Park
Property after hours, for the First Violation. Second
and subsequent violations will result in a $25.00 Parking Citation. Remember
- Parks are Closed At Dark!!
Q. What
is the Maximum Speed Limit in Berwyn Heights?
A.
Like most municipalities, the maximum speed limit on all
Town Streets is 25 MPH. Only two locations in Berwyn
Heights have higher speed limits. The speed limit in the
5400-5500 Block of Branchville Road is 30 MPH, and the speed limit on
Greenbelt Road is 40 MPH. Be forewarned that the Berwyn Heights
Police Department frequently uses Traffic Radar to enforce the Town's
speed limits. Repeated complaints from the residents of the
8700-8800 Block of Edmonston Road have prompted the Police Department
to set up regular "Radar Check Points" in this section of
the Town. There are many families with small children living in
Berwyn Heights. Help us keep the streets safe everyone by Slowing
Down!
Q. Why
does Berwyn Heights and College Park have the SAME Zip Code?
A.
Although Berwyn Heights and College Park are entirely separate
municipalities, the Town of Berwyn Heights is not large enough to
support a full-time, full-size Post Office, so the Berwyn Heights
Post Office (which is located in the Town Hall Building), is actually
a "Sub-Station" of the College Park Post Office. For
this reason, both locations have the same zip code.
Q. We
bought a "Pocket Rocket" Scooter for our son at the local
Auto Parts Store, and a Police Officer told him he couldn't ride it
on the street, even though the store employee told him he could.
What's the deal?
A.
Only certain types of motor scooters are street legal. Please click
here to switch to our web page devoted entirely to this very subject.
Q. Does
it make a difference whether I list College Park or Berwyn Heights
on my Legal Documents?
A.
Yes it most certainly does. Although residents of Berwyn
Heights use a College Park zip code, they DO NOT reside in College
Park. Placing "College Park" on legal documents, such
as your Driver's License, causes the county to send your
municipal tax dollars to the WRONG city. You pay municipal
taxes for specialized municipal services, so make sure your taxes are
going to YOUR municipality, not someone else's!
Q. The
other night I brought my "work truck" home and parked it
on the street in front of my house. The next morning it had
a Parking Ticket on it, which says the charge is "Commercial
& Recreational Vehicles Prohibited." What happened?
A.
Berwyn Heights, like most Maryland cities and towns, has a town
parking ordinance which prohibits the parking of Commercial and
Recreational Vehicles on public streets between the hours of 5pm and
7am Monday - Friday, and Anytime on Weekends. There is an
exception to this rule, which allows commercial vehicles to park on
the street during the prohibited hours for a period of not longer
than two (2) hours, to allow for pickups and deliveries of
merchandise, or for other commercial ventures. The ticket you
received was for a violation of this rule. On the other hand,
if your vehicle had been parked in your own driveway, it would not
have been in violation. (NOTE: This ordinance is enforced to
keep residential neighborhoods clean and attractive, which in turn
helps keep the value of your property from being diminished.
The allowing of commercial trucks and other vehicles to park on city
streets would soon make your neighborhood look like a "warehouse district!")
Q. There
is a Construction Project going on across the street from my house,
and the workers are out there "banging
away" very early in the morning. Isn't this illegal?
A.
The various laws and ordinances relating to noise do prohibit any
type of noise which disturbs the public peace, however it is
generally accepted that a construction project is going to generate a
certain amount of noise, at least until the "heavy work" is
finished. On the other hand, no one expects that noise to go on
"round the clock." As such, the Prince George's
County Ordinance relating to Noise, generally prohibits construction
noise between the hours of 9pm and 7am.
If you are being
disturbed by construction noise before 7am, call the police
department and we will have them stop the offending noise, at least
until the legal starting time. Remember however, the ordinance
does not prohibit the workers from actually working on the
construction project per se it only prohibits noise. For
example, workers erecting drywall inside of a building, which makes
no noise to the outside, could be performed 24 hours a day, as long
it didn't disturb the neighborhood.
It should
be noted that this section specifically exempts noise, which
is the result of a Utility Company Emergency, (PEPCO, WGL, WSSC,
etc.) or which is being caused by events taking place on any
government owned property. (This would include events occurring
at any of the Public Parks, on School or Rec Center Property or at
the Town's own Rental Hall.) Click
Here to read the Noise Ordinance in it's entirety.
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