(3/1) A look at the Thurmont Police
Department Annual Report shows 2006 was a
pretty busy year for the department. For
instance, there were more than twice as many
calls for service in 2006 over 2005.
According to Thurmont Police Chief Greg
Eyler, the department had 3,680 calls for
service in 2005. The annual report shows 8,373
calls in 2006.
“We had a lot more business checks and a
lot more patrol checks, which probably added
to that number,” Eyler said.
He said community policing efforts like
that help cut down on crime and help the
police officers and community become
comfortable with one another.
Other programs the department instituted in
2006 included:
• Revitalization and growing of the
Neighborhood Watch program
• PACE Car Program to help control speeding
• Community Assisted Radar Enforcement Program
to help control speeding
• In Case of Emergency Program to help
citizens get emergency help
• Bike patrol to allow officers to patrol in
crowd situations such as Colorfest.
“The Neighborhood Watch has had one of the
biggest impacts on the community and it is
growing,” said Eyler.
Eyler said in the coming year, he wants to
work on more speed enforcement and find better
ways to deal with the number of juveniles
involved in crime and drugs in the town.
Thurmont also developed an emergency
operations plan, following a multi-agency
emergency drill last fall. “Prior to the
exercise, the Town of Thurmont did not have in
place an Emergency Operations Plan. The first
draft has been completed and reviewed. Future
plans are to form a committee to finalize the
plan to fit the needs of the Thurmont
community,” the report notes.
Other changes include:
• Approval of the design and construction
of a new police headquarters
• Purchase of three new vehicles with a new
color scheme
• Changing of the department’s shoulder patch
and chevrons
• Increase of the officers’ salaries to be
more competitive
With all this activity, the department
responded to 8,373 calls for service, ranging
from a high of 899 in November 2006 to 167 in
February 2006.
2006 Serious Crime
Incidents for Thurmont Police
Robberies
2
Aggravated assault
9
Burglary/B&E
20
Thefts
49
MV Thefts
5
TOTAL
85
Source: 2006 Thurmont Police Annual Report
2006 Thurmont Police
Parking Tickets
Tickets issued
182
Fines for tickets issued $2,210
Parking fines paid
$1,630
Collection rate
74 percent
Source: 2006 Thurmont Police Annual Report
