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Backers of Pr. George’s chief view pellet gun shooting as retaliation


BY RUBEN CASTANEDA Two unmarked sedans used by


Prince George’s County Police Chief Roberto L. Hylton were shot with a pellet gun in recent weeks in the parking lot at police headquarters. Supporters of the chief suspect


the vandalism is retaliation for Hylton’s efforts to punish officers for misconduct. The cars — a black Crown


Victoria and a gray Impala — were damaged in October while they were parked in the chief ’s marked spots at headquarters in Palmer Park, said Maj. Andrew Ellis, commander of the depart- ment’s public information office. The Crown Victoria was shot


in the rear window and in a rear quarter panel, Ellis said. A pellet was shot into a passenger door of the Impala, he said. No other vehicles were dam-


aged, Ellis said.The parking lot is for police officers and civilian


EZ


RE


KLMNO Hylton’s cars vandalized at police facility


employees, but it is not secured, and no surveillance cameras are trained on the chief ’s parking spots, near the entrance, Ellis said.


About the same time the cars


were vandalized, the air was let out of the tires of the marked cruiser assigned to a corporal who works in the chief ’s office, Ellis said. The corporal discov- ered the deflation when she was driving on the Capital Beltway and struggled to control the vehi- cle, according to a police source. The corporal — whom Ellis declined to identify — managed to avoid an accident and get off the road. An inspection deter- mined that the tire pressure for each of the tires was about half of normal level, according to the police source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly. Ellis said Hylton declined to


answer questions about why his vehiclesmighthavebeentargeted and whether he thought the de- flation of his aide’s tires was relat- ed.


Monday may Hylton’s last day


as chief. Rushern L. Baker III (D), who will be sworn in that day as


county executive, is expected to will replaceHylton with an inter- im chief and conduct a search for a permanent chief. Hylton declined to comment


on possible motivations for the vandalism but alluded to the pel- let shooting Nov. 15, during a gathering of high-ranking com- manders. “He said: ‘I’m not going to be intimidated. I’m not going to re- sign,’ ” the police source said. Hylton made the remarks to about 20 commanders after a news conference in which he de- cried the alleged actions of three county police officers who were arrested by the FBI that day as part of a broad corruption probe. Two of the officers are charged with smuggling untaxed ciga- rettes and alcohol, and the third is accused of cocaine trafficking. Two people who represent or-


ganizations that support retain- ing Hylton as chief said they suspect the vandalism is retalia- tion for what they said are Hyl- ton’s efforts to hold officers ac- countable for misconduct. In an interview last month,


Hylton said 46 county officers are suspended or on administrative duty. The number represents 3


percent of the 1,500-member force. Hylton said those figures are higher than in previous years because he is trying to hold offi- cers accountable for misconduct. HakimMuhammad, a member


of the Coalition ofPrinceGeorge’s County Leaders and Organiza- tions, said the vandalism is “frightening. My gut feeling is someone is trying to send him a message.” Luis Rodriguez, executive di-


rector of the Hispanic National Law Enforcement Association, said he suspects that a disgrun- tled officer or officers are respon- sible for the vandalism. Rodri- guez said Hylton, who is Hispan- ic, has also firedHispanic officers for misconduct. “He’s doing the right thing,” Rodriguez said. Vince Canales, president of the


Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 89, which representsmost county officers, dismissed the theory that an officer vandalized the vehicles as “speculation.” “I think it’s such a stretch,”


Canales said. “I know of no offi- cers who have been accused of anything [in connection with the vandalism].” castanedar@washpost.com


Baker stresses Pr. George’s opportunities Gala raises money for Montgomery arts


prince george's from B1


the county’s favorable political balance sheet with the state’s dominant party may not be enough.


Behind on budget review Baker’s firstweek,he saidinthe


interview, will be spent poring over the county’s $2.6 billion bud- get. He had hoped to do that be- fore taking office, but he said the Johnson administration did not provide as detailed a picture as he needs. “We don’t exactly know what


the picture looks like in terms of the deficit. We probably won’t have a complete answer until I take over,” he said. “I am con- cerned.Wewill take ahard look at thenumber oncewe get inthere.” The solutions to money prob-


lems are limited,partly because of a voter-imposed tax cap that makes it virtually impossible to raise property taxes and partly because of a lower overall tax base than in more affluent neighbors such as Fairfax and Montgomery counties. While Baker hopes to expand the commercial tax base by attracting more business, he also plans to institute a broad examination of government effi- ciencies and will use a system known as CountyStat to ascertain howcounty funds are spent. “We clearly want to make sure


that people understand how the government is functioning and how we are using each and every dollar they are giving us. We are going to make some tough choic- es, andwewill ask the residents of the county to support those tough choices,”Baker said. For now, he said, he expects to


In the RockvilleHilton’s tower- BY MICHAEL LARIS Halfway into his planned eight


years as Montgomery County ex- ecutive, Isiah Leggett is facing a budget shortfall of more than $300million, contentious negoti- ations with public employee unions, andcuts toprogramswith committed constituencies, from public schools andlibraries to ser- vices for thepoor. But as Leggett prepares to be


sworn inMonday to his second— and, he says, final — term, the longtime lawprofessor is continu- ing to approach hiswork atop the local government in the county of nearly a million people with the samesteady, low-keystylethathas become his trademark. And de- spite the county’s fiscalwoes, Leg- gett is offering an optimistic take onwhat’s to come.


hire some former officials as act- ing heads of government agencies while he conducts searches for permanent cabinet-level appoint- ments. He wants cabinet officers who come fromthe private sector and have had to find ways to do more with less. And he plans a thorough examination of agen- cies, including the police and housing departments. He is ex- pected to firePoliceChiefRoberto L.Hylton onMonday, despite urg- ingfromsomeHyltonbackersthat Baker keep the chief inhis post. Also, observers said, the new


county executive will need to be alert to a potential fifth column of Johnson loyalists, including some


ing atrium, Leggett presided Sun- day night over an inaugural ball set up to raise money for county arts and humanities programs. Guests in tuxedos and sequined gowns perused items up for silent auction, everything froma crystal necklace to baseball tickets. “It’s a challenge,” Leggett said


fromtheheadof thereceivingline. “But I’mreally confident. I believe wehavetheresources,wehavethe leadership, we have the people who are committed to doing what’s right,notonly for todaybut for the long term.” But first, there was the arts


fundraiser. “People need something to feel


good about,” said Barbara Ham- mond, a volunteer. “They need a moraleboost.Theyneedtobeable to smile at something.” larism@washpost.com


politicalappointeeswhohavebur- rowedintothecareerbureaucracy andwould be difficult to dislodge.


The hopes ofmany Baker’s inaugural theme — On


the Path toGreatness—embodies the hopes of many county resi- dents,whosay theyare tiredof the image of mediocrity and aura of corruption that have plagued the county for years. MichelleHaywood,whoisplan-


ningtheinauguralballatNational Harbor, said she was drawn to Baker’s candidacy eight years ago because she thought the county had much potential but wasn’t moving forward fast enough.


MONDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2010


Vexed by delays on VRE, some riders hit the road


vre from B1


have an obligation to get them fixed and stop the problem.” Despite a few massive delays,


VRE’s overall on-time perfor- mance remains fair, VRE officials said. It has recovered from a tumble it took this summer when it slipped as low as 63 percent. In October it was 88.9 percent, up from 87 percent a year earlier. In November, that figure was 85.8 percent, up from 82 percent, ac- cording to VRE data. A train is counted as “on time” if it is less than five minutes late. “In the corridors we run —


Interstate 95 and Interstate 66— I don’t believe on a regular basis you can get into your car, drive to work and be within a five-minute window nine out of 10 times,” VRE spokesman Mark Roeber said. In The Post’s analysis, the most frequent causes of delays since July 12 have been speed restric- tions; mechanical problems; switch and signal malfunctions; calls for emergency passenger as- sistance; and delays due to many passengers boarding. In some ways, the system is a victim of its own success.


selves cause a problem. The num- ber of delays in which speed restrictions and switch or signal problems on the tracks were a factor doubled from July 12 to Nov. 30 when compared with last year, and those delays tended to be longer, according to The Post analysis. “If you take out those events


that are out of our control, like mandated speed restrictions or blocked incidents at Union Sta- tion, the lion’s share of those delays go away,” Roeber said. VRE is also dealing with aging equipment. Many of its locomo- tives are more than 40 years old, and delays attributed to mechani- cal failures on cars or engines have increased steadily in recent years. Twenty new locomotives are on order, with one in place and the next two set to be in service next month. VRE officials said a lack of


storage space is keeping them from expanding service, and they are studying new possibilities, including keeping trains at Broad Run or L’Enfant Plaza instead of Union Station and building an additional storage track. In the past two weeks, howev- er, VRE has experienced two sig-


Like many in the county, she


was dissatisfied with the public schools. For a time, she home- schooled her young son and daughter. She would explain to them the importance of staying abreast of politics and under- standing who represents them in government. “Itoccurredtomethat Ihadnot


lived up to what I was telling them,” she said. She and her husband became


involved in Bowie city affairs, and theymet Baker in 2002 as he was beginning his first race for execu- tive. Haywood ended up being a loyal supporter and fundraiser, andnow, his chief party planner. Ericka Farrell, president of the


PTA at John Hanson French Im- mersion School in Oxon Hill, did not vote for Baker in the five-way DemocraticprimaryinSeptember but is eager tosee change,particu- larlyinthe128,000-studentpublic school system. “I know that is his focus, but unless they get some teachers in the schools who want to teach our kids, nothing is going to change,” she said. State Del. Barbara A. Frush (D-


PrinceGeorge’s),alongtimeBaker supporter, has high hopes. “He is going to come in and make dra- matic changes,” she said. “It is a huge challenge, but I


think he is up for it,” Frush said. And despite the specter of the Johnsons’ legal issues, and the difficulties ahead for the nascent administration, she said Baker is looking forward to whatever lies ahead. “He’s always positive, one of


those ‘I can do it’ types. And he is willing to make the tough deci- sions,” Frush said. spivackm@washpost.com


Groups plan to protest late-term abortions done at Md. clinic BY LENA H. SUN Antiabortion groups plan to


protest a Nebraska doctor who will start working and perform- ing late-term abortions Monday at a Germantown clinic. Security is expected to be tight,


and demonstrators will not be allowed in the private business park where the clinic is located or the parking lot in front of it, Montgomery County police offi- cials said. LeRoy Carhart is one of the few


doctors in the United States to perform the controversial proce-


dure. He will be working at Ger- mantown Reproductive Health Services, which already performs abortions earlier in a pregnancy. Only a handful of doctors publicly acknowledge that they perform abortions late in a pregnancy,and Carhart has been the target of abortion protests.


“We don’t want Maryland to


become the late-term abortion capital of America,” said the Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition. Organizers said they plan to


stage regular, peaceful demon- strations as long as Carhart is working at the clinic. sunl@washpost.com


“VREonly had occasional disruptions before, but then it got to where they were chronically off schedule.”


—Jim Klipp, who took a VRE train for two years from Manassas Park to Crystal City and moved to avoid the VRE commute.


WhenVREwascreated in 1992,


its mission statement was to serve 10,000 riders daily. In No- vember, the average daily rider- ship was 17,700, up from roughly 16,600 the year before, Roeber said. The system, with a capacity of roughly 20,000, hit its highest ridership day ever last month, with 19,540 riders onNov. 9. “VRE only had occasional dis- ruptions before, but then it got to where they were chronically off schedule,” said Jim Klipp, who took a VRE train for two years from Manassas Park to Crystal City. He moved to Crystal City over the summer to avoid the commuteonVRE.“If theyweren’t delayed for their own mainte- nance, it was because of a freight train or something. It seems like VRE is the bottom priority.” Many of the delays stem from


freight, Amtrak and commuter trains competing for the same tracks, which are owned by CSX on the Fredericksburg Line and Norfolk Southern on the Manas- sas Line. Both lines run to Union Station, with the Manassas Line originating at Broad Run and the Fredericksburg Line in Freder- icksburg. Being stuck behind an Amtrak or freight train was a factor in at least 120 disruptions since July 12, according to The Post’s analy- sis. Among them were about 30 delays of 20 or more minutes and eight instances in which a train could not complete its route. Bob Sullivan, a spokesman for


CSX, said his company works closely with VRE to mitigate de- lays. Whether a freight or passen- ger trainmovesfirstwhenthere is congestion depends on what will alleviate the bottleneck quickest, he said.


Sharing the tracks also means


that incidents can quickly ripple through service for all of the rail lines. Last month, a MARC train and an Amtrak switch engine collided at Union Station, tying up rail traffic for hours. Sometimes the tracks them-


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nificant delays in which people were an hour-plus late for work and mechanical failures that end- ed up affecting multiple trains. During the Thanksgiving week fiasco, later trains were stuck behind two that were coupled together after a brake problem occurred. The coupled train then had to back up and “get a running start” togetupahill,VREofficials said.


Despite the delays, VRE re-


mains the preferred option of some riders. “Even with the breakdowns, I


think it is the best mode of trans- portation,” said eight-year rider Evelyn Denwiddie of Fairfax. “Slugging is a pain,andtraffic can be bad. With the train, I know it will usuallycomejust about every day at the same time.” buskej@washpost.com rosiakl@washpost.com


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