Council Says $100,000 is Too Much for Emergency Mobile Application

The Mayor and Council decided during an informal show of hands at Tuesday night's work session that it would not support the city taking part in the M-Urgency public safety mobile application program at the estimated price.

"If it is $100,000, I think it’s pretty safe to say, no we’re not doing that," Mayor said at the work session that followed the regular council meeting Tuesday.

University of Maryland police presented the technology at last week's regular work session, which the campus plans to roll out in September. Students will be able to download a mobile application from the university's protected intranet onto a smart phone, and in an emergency situation can contact help, and activate video and audio recording and a GPS locating device. All that information is then sent to university dispatchers and police.

Chief of Police David Mitchell said the city might also consider enrolling in the program for an estimated $100,000.

At that price, the six council members who were present said they wouldn't be interested, even though presenters said College Park would be the first city in the world to use this type of technology.

"I don’t think being first for the sake of being first," is an incentive, said Councilman (Dist. 4) “Right now I don’t think it’s a good idea."

This was a part of a larger discussion taking place after the regular meeting of how to spend at least $167,624 in net speed camera revenue that must fund for public safety projects before it's funneled to the state.

City staff was charged with collecting suggestions from various public safety organizations, including the Prince George's County Police Department and local fire departments. City council members also submitted ideas of how to use the money.

It was a casual discussion with only six of eight council members present, but Fellows used the opportunity to gauge support for each item on the list (keeping in mind that the costs were mere estimates).

Ideas that were preliminarily popular included license tag readers at the entrance of College Park Woods at Metzerott Road and St. Andrews Place; security cameras; support for local fire departments; and guardrail replacement on Narragansett Parkway. There was also discussion of a new pedestrian crosswalk, possibly on Rhode Island Avenue near Duvall Field.

The discussion is expected to continue at the next regular work session with all council members present, scheduled for Sept. 6.