Free Car Seat Check In Beltsville on Saturday

PGPD hosting safety event at the Prince George’s Community Federal Credit Union.

  The Prince George's County Police Department is partnering with Maryland Kids in Safety Seats (KISS) to bring certified car seat technicians to the Prince George’s Community Federal Credit Union (PGCFCU) from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 3 for a free car seat safety check. Workers will check for recalled car seats and check that seats and boosters are properly installed. PGFCU will replace the first five car seats that are deemed undafe or have been recalled. To participate, your car seats must be already installed and it is helpful if you bring the manuals/paperwork for both the car seat and your vehicle. The Prince George's Community Federal Credit Union is located at 6985 Muirkirk Meadows Road, Beltsville, MD. For more…

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New Car Seat Law Removes Weight Exemption for Kids

A Maryland law that takes effect Oct. 1 still requires kids younger than 8 to be in a safety seat, unless they are 4 feet 9 inches or taller.

A new child safety seat law will go into effect Oct. 1 that removes the weight exemption for children who are more than 65 pounds, according to a Maryland State Police. The state law still requires that children use car seats until they turn 8 years old, unless they are 4 feet 9 inches or taller. The law is a primary enforcement law, which means drivers can be detained and cited for violating the seat belt law. The fine is $50 for each child in the vehicle that is not properly restrained. The fine also applies to children ages 8 to 16, who are still required to wear a seat belt.  "A child safety seat is a device—including a child booster seat—which the manufacturer has certified as being made in agreement with federal safety standards and …

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Dawn Mooney

12:44 pm on Wednesday, October 3, 2012

This change makes me thrilled. I'm frequently in awe of the number of children I see locally who are not in car or booster seats. For that matter, I'm shocked to see kids not even sitting down in cars or vans. Riding in a car is statistically the riskiest thing our kids do every day, and yet there are so many parents who don't take the simple measures to keep them safe. I hope our local police …   more ›

Police Talk Stranger Danger to Howard County Parents

Howard County police met with parents in the wake of several reports of suspicious activity involving kids and strangers.

  One day, when Jeff was away from home, someone threw a mailbox through his front window. “That’s when I got the camera,” he said, standing in the cafeteria of Rockburn Elementary School on Tuesday evening.  Jeff, who asked that his last name not be printed, not only installed a security camera on his property, but also a license plate tag reader.  He joined other parents from around Howard County on Tuesday to discuss child safety with members of the Howard County Police Department in the wake of several reported “suspicious circumstances” involving children.  Since December, there have been seven reports of suspicious strangers attempting to engage or acting suspicious near children, according to the police department. “We don’t think …

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School Board and Council Hope to Streamline Communication of Emergencies

"There's got to be a better way to communicate," Councilman Calvin Ball told the board.

County Council members this week questioned Howard County Board of Education members about recent incidents that may have put children on school buses in danger and the ways those incidents were reported to parents. Council members Calvin Ball and Jen Terrasa Tuesday raised concerns about a group of young men who surrounded and harassed a bus near Laurel Woods with elementary school students onboard, an incident in which people threw rocks at a school bus, as well as multiple reports of suspicious activity near groups of children in Elkridge and Ellicott City. Laurel Woods administrators sent students home with a note about the "gang-like" activity, but Terrasa said she didn't find out about the incidents until a week after they occurred. …

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Howard County Bus Driver Fired After Shocking Video Released

Howard County Public Schools released a school bus driver after a disturbed grandmother of a child recorded a video of the school bus coming to an alarmingly fast stop.