County Executive Marc Elrich Announces New Legislation Aimed at Improving Late-Night Safety Across Montgomery County

Patrick Herron February 14, 2023 at 10:43am

The bill would establish new rules for businesses that operate between midnight and 6 a.m. in areas which generate high calls for service. Businesses that operate in those late hours would be required to develop a business safety plan and have it approved by police.

“Last year we met with business leaders and community members here in Silver Spring to discuss the situation and concerns with late night establishments over crime and safety,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “Since then, we’ve added safety cameras and new license plate reading technology in areas where they are needed. We’ve used crime date to reconfigure our patrol strategies. When passed, this bill will be another tool to help keep the community safe by relying on our businesses that cater to a late-night crowd to be part of the solution.”

Other changes already in place to improve safety in Silver Spring include the addition of 3 high-visibility morning posts for officers in the Downtown Silver Spring area, more bicycle officers on patrol, and more officers involved in community engagement and crime prevention areas. Adopt-A-Neighborhood programs and support from Maryland State Patrol have helped the area see fewer incidents of crime since last summer. Adding the Late-Night Business Safety Plan is the next step in addressing safety concerns.

“I’m here today because like many of you, I want to make sure that our community continues to be a place where young people, children, families, young adults and older folks feel safe and can enjoy all we have here,” said Councilmember Kate Stewart. “To do this we need all of us working together. “

Police credit early adopters of the Late-Night Business Safety Plan, business owners who voluntarily made suggested changes months ago (like adding handheld metal detector devices), with showing them that adopting this changes can make a big impact.

“Several night clubs have agreed to hire additional part time officers on the weekend doubling their security staff,” said Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones. “We want to make sure that people understand that it is safe here.”

Penalties for noncompliance would begin with fines but eventually this legislation could also allow the government to shut down a business that’s not seen as doing enough to keep its customers and employees safe.

The Late-Night Business Safety Plan legislation will be introduced to the Council on Tuesday, February 14.

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