PGPD Honors Patrol Officers of the Month

Our patrol officers make the department proud each day with their unwavering commitment to keep our community safe.  Here are just a few examples of their good work.  We’d like to introduce you to the Patrol Officers of the Month for September.

District I Police Officer of the Month

Police Officer David Ahn

On September 21, 2013, Police Officer David Ahn was dispatched to the 6800 block of Riverdale Road for a complaint of people using drugs.  When he arrived, he spotted two people matching the suspect descriptions who were getting into a car.  Police Officer Ahn stopped the car and as he approached, he smelled the odor of marijuana coming from the car. While he was speaking to the passenger, he saw a handgun behind the driver’s seat.  A search of the car turned up a second loaded handgun hidden inside a backpack as well as illegal drugs.  Both suspects were arrested.

District II Police Officer of the Month
Corporal Bernard Barnes

Corporal Bernard Barnes assisted the Anne Arundel County Police Department with an arrest warrant for a suspect wanted in connection with numerous commercial burglaries.  After seeing the suspect, Corporal Barnes recognized him from a lookout flyer showing a suspect burglarizing the Target on Campus Way South.  Corporal Barnes contacted the investigator handling the Target burglary, who confirmed the same suspect was involved.  The follow up investigation linked the suspect to numerous other commercial burglaries across the region.  Corporal Barnes' vigilance and attention to duty led to successful case closures, not just for Prince George’s County, but for several other jurisdictions in the Washington-Metropolitan area.

District III Police Officer of the Month
Police Officer First Class Christian Payamps

On September 13, 2013, Police Officer First Class Christian Payamps responded to the 400 block of Nova Avenue for the report of a citizen robbery.  When he arrived, POFC Payamps learned the suspects might have been spotted near the 5900 block of Central Avenue.  Based on his knowledge of the area, POFC Payamps headed to a local business to see if its surveillance video could help identify the robbery suspects.  As he was looking at the surveillance footage, POFC Payamps saw several men walk outside of the business who matched the descriptions of the robbery suspects.  POFC Payamps quickly broadcast the lookout information and then attempted to engage the suspects.  At that point, the suspects began to run away.  POFC Payamps caught one of the suspects as he hid under a truck.  That suspect confessed to his involvement in the earlier robbery and was arrested.

District IV Police Officer of the Month
Police Officer Khaled Rasuli #3632

On September 18, 2013 Police Officer Khaled Rasuli was working as part of the Transforming Neighborhood Initiative on Livingston Terrace. He observed a subject loitering near a storefront in the 5000 block of Livingston Terrace.  Officer Rasuli made contact with the subject and conducted a pat down for officer safety.  While doing so, he felt a bulge in the waistband area of the subject’s pants.  Officer Rasuli's training and experience alerted him that the bulge could be a concealed handgun.  At this time, Officer Rasuli recovered a loaded Detective Special, Colt .38 caliber revolver from the subject’s waistband and placed him into custody without incident.  A search incident to arrest revealed a total of 15 clear glassine baggies containing suspected marijuana totaling 24.4 grams.  A wanted check revealed the suspect also had three open warrants.  Due to Officer Rasuli's proactive policing, this subject along with a loaded handgun and suspected marijuana were removed from the streets of Prince George’s County.

District V Police Officers of the Month
Police Officer First Class Christian Wutka #3463

Police Officer Jonathan Miller #3785

On September 7, 2013 Police Officer First Class Christian Wutka and Police Officer Johnathan Miller responded to a family dispute in the 5100 block of Salima Street in Clinton, Maryland.  Public Safety Communications advised that one of the parties was acting violently and breaking items in the residence.  Upon arrival to the scene, officers made contact with the homeowner who advised his daughter was under the influence of PCP.  When contact was made with the homeowner’s daughter, it was clear she was highly agitated and combative.  By the use of strong verbal commands and sound tactical positioning, they were able take her into custody quickly and safely.  A glass vile was recovered from the home containing .31 ounces of suspected PCP with a street value of $496.00 and .06 grams of suspected marijuana having a street value of $12.00.  Their ability to work as a team enabled them  to control a potentially violent situation with a peaceful resolution.

District VI Police Officer of the Month
Police Officer First Class Edward Miles #2893

On September 10, 2013, Police Officer First class Miles responded to the 3000 block of Powder Mill Road in Beltsville, Maryland for a report of a residential robbery. Two males, one armed with a handgun, had entered an apartment through a sliding glass door, robbed the female resident of cash and assorted personal items, and then fled on foot.  POFC Miles arrived in the area, and began canvassing in an attempt to locate the suspects. A short time later, he located two males in the 11000 block of Cherry Hill Road who matched the physical description given by the victim except for their clothing, which was different. POFC Miles stopped the males, and while speaking with them, he decided to request the female victim be brought to his location for possible identification.  The victim positively identified both subjects and it was later learned that the males had each changed their clothing after committing the robbery in an attempt to conceal their identities. Thanks to POFC Miles' tenacity and keen observation skills, two dangerous felons have been removed from the streets of Prince George’s County.