Gaithersburg Police Department

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Gaithersburg Police Department
Patch of the Gaithersburg Police Department.png
Patch of the Gaithersburg Police Department
Seal of Gaithersburg, Maryland.png
Seal of the City of Gaithersburg
Badge of the Gaithersburg Police Department.png
Badge of a Gaithersburg Police Department officer
Common nameGaithersburg P.D.
AbbreviationGPD
MottoMinisterium, integritas, observantia
(In Latin: "Service, integrity, respect.")
Agency overview
FormedApril 1, 1963;61 years ago (1963-04-01)
Annual budget$9,200,000 (as of 2014)
Jurisdictional structure
Legal jurisdiction Gaithersburg, Maryland, U.S.
General nature
Operational structure
Headquarters14 Fulks Corner Ave, Gaithersburg, Maryland, U.S. [1]
Sworn officers57 (as of December 2016) [2]
Unsworn civilian employees9 (as of December 2016)
Agency executive
  • Mark P. Sroka, Chief of Police
Facilities
Cars Ford Police Interceptor Sedan, Ford Police Interceptor Utility, Dodge Charger
Website
https://www.gaithersburgmd.gov/government/departments/gaithersburg-police-department

The Gaithersburg Police Department (GPD) is the municipal police force of Gaithersburg, Maryland. [3] [4]

Contents

History

Gaithersburg Police car, 1960s.jpg
A Gaithersburg police car in the 1960s
Gatihersburg Police Department motorcycle officer, 1980s.jpg
Gaithersburg P.D. motorcycle officer, c. 1980s
Patch of the Gaithersburg Police Department (1980s).png
Patch of the Gaithersburg Police Department (1970s).png
Patch of the Gaithersburg Police Department (former).png
Former GPD patches from the 20th century. During the 20th century, the GPD used a star-shaped badge. [5]

19631986: Founding

The Gaithersburg Police Department was founded on April 1, 1963, [6] when a resolution creating it was signed into law by the mayor of the city at the time, Merton F. Duvall.

The town budget for fiscal year 1964 included "police protection" salaries for the solitary officer amounting to $4,000 (equivalent to $39296 today), and equipment purchases of $500 (equivalent to $4912 today).

It was under the administration of Chief DeVries that the Gaithersburg city police began to operate under its current system of dispatch through the Montgomery County Police Department. As a former Montgomery County Police lieutenant, DeVries was in a position to work with the County Police in a way that had previously not been possible.

19861998: Expansion and modernization

The Gaithersburg Police Department grew from an authorized strength of three sworn officers and one civilian clerk in the early 1970s, when the city's population was 7,000, to its current complement of 57 sworn officers and nine civilians. The majority of that growth occurred from 1986 to 1998 under the direction of then-chief Mary Ann Viverette.

In 1983, the GPD formed a traffic unit.

Viverette was the GPD's chief from 1986 until her retirement in May 2007. John King succeeded Viverette and served until 2010. The GPD currently falls under the leadership of Mark P. Sroka.

Organization

Personnel

From 1971 to 1990, the Gaithersburg Police Department only hired officers who had former experience as police officers.

The majority of the Gaithersburg's police officers have come from other agencies. The experience of these officers comes from agencies such as Montgomery County, Washington, D.C., United States Secret Service, Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, Maryland National Capital Police, and Baltimore City, to name a few.

Chiefs

David Marstiller was the first Chief of Police, [7] although there are references to a "Town Marshall" in the minutes of Town Council Meetings prior to 1963.

Over the years, there would be several chiefs of police; James Tassie, formerly of the Rockville City Police Department; Marson Johnson, who had been an officer in Michigan; John F. DeVries and George Fusco, both of whom had retired from the Montgomery County Police Department as lieutenants.

List of chiefs

No.ChiefRankLifeTenureNotes
1David MarstillerChief
2James TassieChiefFormer Rockville City Police Department officer.
3Marson Harry Johnson, Sr.Director of Police Services [8] February 20, 1941 June 11, 2004 (aged 63)19741977Former Michigan policeman.
4John F. DeVries, Sr.ChiefDied in 1981 at age 52. [9] 19771980Former MCPD lieutenant
5 Chief George Fusco, Gaithersburg Police Department.png George Fusco [10] Chief19811986Former MCPD lieutenant.
6Mary Ann Viverette [11] Chief19862007 [12] Retired in May 2007
7John King [13] Chief20072010
8Mark P. SrokaChief2010present

See also

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References

  1. "Gaithersburg Police Department - Gaithersburg, MD". www.policeone.com.
  2. "Police Department History". web-beta.archive.org. Archived from the original on 2016-12-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. Chinni, Dante (21 November 2001). "In burbs, 'high alert' brings subtle changes" via Christian Science Monitor.
  4. "Police Annual Reports". www.gaithersburgmd.gov.
  5. "GAITHERSBURG, MD POLICE 2001 PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION BADGE". shop.copcollector.com.
  6. "Gaithersburg police history an arresting family story". www.gazette.net.
  7. "A Talk with Chief Sroka on Departmentâs 50th". The Town Courier. Archived from the original on August 31, 2017. Retrieved 2017-08-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  8. "Dr. Marson H. Johnson's Obituary on Tampa Bay Times". Tampa Bay Times.
  9. "John F. DeVries Sr., 52, Ex-Chief of Gaithersburg". 29 January 1981 via washingtonpost.com.
  10. "George Fusco". Facebook.
  11. Jennings, Veronica T. (27 January 1994). "GAITHERSBURG POLICE'S CHIEF OF CHANGE" via washingtonpost.com.
  12. Chief, Sonia Boin Montgomery Bureau. "Gaithersburg police chief to retire".
  13. Morse, Dan; Marimow, Ann E. (9 March 2009). "Gaithersburg Police Chief Also Collects Disability Pension From Montgomery County" via washingtonpost.com.