THE GAZETTE
Thursday, February 27, 2014 bo
POLICE
Continued from Page A-1 bureau’s average, that equals about one new officer per year. “Anybody can assign a number and say ‘We need this many people,’” Nesky said to the council Feb. 18. “But we want to answer why that many people.”
Nesky’s reasoning is that 12 additional positions would suit the city’s public safety needs and goals based on current and anticipated call volumes from population increases and department needs, such as training officers. He said he also plans to reorganize managerial positions with new captain and lieutenant positions focused on making
Obituary Taylor, Harry C. “Skip” on February 18, 2014 went to be with the Lord. Loving father of Harry Clayton Taylor, Jr. and Patricia Taylor Welch. Brother of Harvey Taylor, Clara Johnson, Judy Simonson, Mary Jo Taylor and Lloyd Altimus. Step brother of Lynn Altimus, David Altimus, Debbie Rhien and Dagmar Mc.Closky. Also survived by his dear friend and companion Ana Jardim and numerous nieces and nephews. Friends may call at the Lee Funeral Home, Inc. Branch Ave and Coventry Way Clinton, Maryland on Saturday March 1, 2014 from 2-4 & 6-8pm. Funeral Services will be held on Monday March 3, 2014 11am at Temple Hills Baptist Church 4821 St. Barnabas Rd. Temple Hills, Md. with interment to follow in Maryland Veterans Cemetery, Cheltenham, Maryland. 1910761
patrol squads more efficient by helping the squads share information about crimes in the city. Bowie police receive help from the Prince George’s County Police Department, which investigates commercial burglaries and robberies, but he hopes increases in staff will allow the city’s police department to handle those cases, as well. Even with a below-average number of officers, Nesky said city crime has been trending downward over the last seven years, save for a few spikes in some categories. In 2012, assaults and thefts increased, but those numbers decreased in 2013, according to Bowie crime stats. In 2013, auto thefts and commercial burglaries increased, an increase seen countywide, Nesky said. The approval of the new positions is up to the council, which has routinely supported the police department, said Councilman Issac Trouth (Dist. 4). The four officers are estimated to cost about $339,000, according to the plan, and Trouth said the council will likely support the department, but the city’s budget will dictate the final decision. The city’s revenues grew by about 8 percent in fiscal 2013, while city officials anticipate a 5 percent revenue increase this fiscal year and a 3.8 percent increase in fiscal 2015, the same year as the requested officers, according to the mayor’s State of the City address. “The city is much safer now than it was prior to the Bowie Police Department,” Trouth said of the department’s almost seven years of activity. “We as elected officials have got to be on top of providing core services to our residents.” Bowie Mayor G. Frederick Robinson said he was pleased with the department’s success. He said the police “have earned the respect” of the council, so their strategic plan carries weight. “I think he is doing the right thing in laying out the strategic plan,” Robinson said of Nesky. “The council is pleased with their overall performance.” ccook@gazette.net
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BILL RYAN/THE GAZETTE
Glenarden Woods fifth-graders Jonah Valverde, Zaki Chowdhury and Gabrielle Prevatte compete Tuesday at the Prince George’s County Science Bowl competition in Landover.
Glenarden Woods on top in Science Bowl School has chance to tie University Park for most wins n
BY CHASE COOK STAFF WRITER
Glenarden Woods Elementary School students came a step closer Tuesday to defending their Science Bowl title and tying the record for most championships in the competition’s history. The team defeated both Laurel Elementary, 295-130, and Adelphi Elementary, 235110, to move on to the semiinals of the Prince George’s County Public Schools tournament. The Science Bowl is an annual competition, akin to “Jeopardy!,” where contestants answer questions of varying scores from different categories. Glenarden fifth-grader Gabrielle Prevatte, 11, of Brandywine, said the win was wellearned against competitive teams. She said she was initially nervous about getting on stage and that the questions would be tough. Gabrielle’s teammates were fifth-graders Jonah Valverde, 11, of University Park, and Zaki Chowdhury,
10, of Landover. “I thought I was going to totally freak out,” Gabrielle said. “But it wasn’t that hard.” Gabrielle and her team move on to play against the three remaining schools — Laurel’s Montpelier Elementary, Berwyn Heights Elementary and Riverdale’s Beacon Heights Elementary. Glenarden won the Science Bowl last year and has four previous wins. University Park has the most wins with five title victories, but was knocked out in the semifinals elimination round on Feb. 4. Science Bowl host Dave Zahren said he was impressed with Glenarden Woods because the students paid attention to the clues in his questions that sometimes teams miss. He was also impressed that Glenarden had made it back to the semifinals to compete for potentially a fifth championship. “It’s great coaches,” Zahren said. “They know the program. And they find the right students.” Tuesday’s questions were challenging, Zahren said, and students can expect harder questions on April 1, when the
elementary school semifinals and finals take place. “[Questions] will be a little tougher moving forward,” Zahren said. “You want to make the competition match the level of the kids taking part.” Jonah, 11, said the upcoming games will require more studying as they prepare to face the best teams. And with the school’s previous title on the line, and the chance to tie University Park for most Science Bowl wins in history, stress is higher than usual, he said. “It’s more nerve-wracking because you have something to defend,” Jonah said. Laurel’s Bond Mill Elementary lost its game to Adelphi, 220-165, but that won’t sway fifth-grader Isaiah Webb, 10, of Laurel, who said he will continue studying old shows to make his comeback. “I will get my revenge on Adelphi,” Isaiah said with a laugh. “I will be back.” Adelphi sixth-grader Denisse Lavarez, 11, of Hyattsville said she was proud of her school’s effort. “We played our own game and didn’t focus on other people,” Denisse said. “Even if we lost, which we did, we still had fun.” ccook@gazette.net
BREACH
Continued from Page A-1 by Ann Wylie, his former chief of staff. William Lucyshyn, director of research in UM’s Center of Public Policy and Private Enterprise, said cyber thieves who steal names and Social Security numbers may be able to access addresses through other means, which gives them the power to open up credit cards in someone else’s name. Lucyshyn said electronic databases can exist indefinitely. “You might have a problem 10 years from now,” Lucyshyn said. “When these guys open up a credit card ... you might get some notice you are three months behind in payments.” In a Feb. 24 statement, university officials suggested those affected by the data breach take extra precautions by placing a 90-day fraud alert or security freeze on credit files, ordering free annual credit reports and obtaining more information about identity theft. Students said they were glad the university responded quickly, but the fact that Social Security numbers could have been stolen unnerved them. Junior Alyssa Cote, 20, of College Park said she is worried hackers will use the information for identity theft. “Now it is a game of chance,” Cote said. “Someone went out of the way to steal the information. They will do something with it.” Sophomore Stephanie Poole, 20, of College Park said she plans to use the credit monitoring. She said she thought the university had stricter security and hoped the breach would force the university to examine its cyber security. “I thought it was obviously horrible,” Poole said. “I was shocked someone could break into the system. If they got Social Security numbers, they can do a lot of damage.”
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eeastman@gazette.net ccook@gazette.net