OCEAN CITY POLICE

2018 ANNUAL REPORT

4 Letter from Chief Ross Buzzuro

5 Organizational Chart

6 Partnering with our Community

8 Patrol Division

9 Criminal Investigation Division

10 Support Services Division

11 Auxiliary Officer Program

12 Awards & Promotions

13 Calls for Service

14 Crime Statistics

Several photos in this report were donated by Chris Parypa Photography. We thank Chris for his continued support.

Ocean City residents and visitors: I am proud to present the 2018 Annual Report.

After achieving yet another year of historic lows

in crime, the officers and staff members that

make up the Ocean City Police Department

continue to exceed my expectations. The

information in this report is a testament to their

hard work and dedication. In the following

pages, you’ll see a brief summary of what the

department has accomplished in 2018, in

addition to crime statistics and figures.

Year after year, we continue to see a decrease in serious crime and 2018 was no different with more than

a 14 percent reduction. I applaud the efforts of the men and women of this agency for making this

decrease in crime possible for our citizens. I also commend the partnerships and assistance we receive

from residents, visitors and business owners throughout the year. We truly could not have seen such

success without the partnerships we share with our community.

Despite our success, we will not rest on our laurels. We continue to be faced with challenges that my

staff and I work to overcome. As we look ahead, we will continue to employ new tactics, propose new

legislation, and forge new partnerships to ensure a safe and enjoyable community for our citizens.

I would like to close by thanking the men and women of this department for their continued commitment

and dedication to this great community of ours. Additionally, I cannot express the gratitude I have for

being a part of such a supportive community. The sacrifice and hard work of our employees coupled with

the partnerships that we have forged, make Ocean City the great town that it is.

Ross Buzzuro Chief of Police

Executive Assistant to the Chief of Police Marjorie Harms

Special Projects & Community Services Lt. Scott Harner

Public Affairs Lindsay Richard

Auxiliary Unit

Human Resources Lt. Rick Moreck, Section Commander

Services Management Lt. Glen McIntyre, Section Commander

Finance Administration Megan Sneeringer, Fiscal Supervisor/Accountant

Records Management Michelle Monico, Supervisor

Training/Recruiting

Reserve Officers

Arrest & Detention

Property & Evidence

Asst. Commander Lt. Shawn Jones

Major Crimes Unit

Narcotics & Vice Unit

Intelligence Unit

Special Enforcement Unit

Forensic Services Unit

Midnight Watch Lt. Frank Wrench, Shift Commander

Animal Control

Evening Watch Lt. Greg DeGiovanni, Shift Commander

Day Watch Lt. Dennis Eade, Shift Commander

Specialty Units Mounted Unit

Quick Response Team Noise Unit

K-9 Unit Traffic Safety Unit

Bike Maintenance Unit Honor Guard

Field Training & Evaluation Program Crisis Negotiation Team

Crime Analysis

Asst. Commander Lt. James “Art” Grady

Professional Standards Lt. Brian Mongelli

In April, the OCPD hosted the first ever Mounted Unit Open

House event at Bay Point Equestrian Center in Ocean Pines

where the police horses are housed and cared for. Attendees

had a rare opportunity to meet each of the horses up close

and see demonstrations on grooming, tacking, patrol

techniques, and other fun activities. The K-9 Unit did a

demonstration, as well. The inaugural event was well attended

and the department plans to host the Open House annually.

Dozens of special events take place in Ocean City throughout

the year and, in the summer months especially, it can take a

toll on police manpower. These special events would not be

as successful without the help from the community. Twenty-six

businesses assisted during motor events by offering

discounted meals and lodging to visiting officers from allied

agencies.

Every year, the OCPD participates in the Worcester County

leg of the Annual Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special

Olympics MD, which is organized by OCPD officers. Officers

from across the county join together for this event with one

mission: to escort and protect the Special Olympics “Flame of

Hope” as it makes its way toward the opening of the Annual

Summer Games. Boardwalk strollers and hotel visitors can

expect to see the Torch Run return to Ocean City in early

June 2019.

For years, the OCPD has assisted the Ocean City Chamber of

Commerce’s Seasonal Workforce Committee with their

mission to empower the foreign students that visit Ocean City

each summer. In an effort to build relationships with the

students and instill trust, officers assisted the Committee with

Public Safety Nights on the boardwalk.

The OCPD continued hosting Coffee with Cops events for the

second year. In May and July, dozens of attendees stopped to

enjoy casual conversation over a cup of coffee with officers

and Command Staff members. At a Coffee with Cops event in

May, a young girl said “Kids don’t like coffee!” and the idea for

Cones with Cops was born. In August, police gathered

together with area children and their families at Dumser’s

Dairyland Ice Cream Factory. Kids were able to sit in a police

car, turn on the lights and sirens, and meet OCPD police dogs

and horses. There were dozens of attendees and the

department looks forward to hosting a similar event in the

summer of 2019.

In 2017, the department created trading cards for the horses

on the Mounted Unit. Because of their success, the

department created trading cards for each of the police dogs

in the K-9 Unit in 2018. The K-9 trading cards proved to be

just as popular and every officer in the department was able to

hand them out to kids they came into contact with on their

patrols.

The Bayshore Drive, Caine Woods, and Montego Bay

Neighborhood Watch groups hosted National Night Out

picnics in their neighborhoods on August 7. This is a very

special neighborhood event that promotes community

involvement in police-community partnerships and

neighborhood camaraderie.

Thanks to grant funding from the Maryland Department of

Transportation Highway Safety Office and the Town of Ocean

City Green Team, officers were able to install bicycle lights

throughout the summer of 2018. Not only are bicycle lights

required by law, but they are essential to ensuring the rider is

safe when riding at night. Officers installed 131 lights during

bicycle enforcement details and 44 to citizens that came in to

the Public Safety Building.

Several local citizens graduated from the 2018 Citizens Police

Academy joining dozens of previous graduates. The Citizens

Police Academy is a unique opportunity for citizens to learn

the inner workings of the Department. In 2018, the OCPD

partnered with the Maryland State Police Berlin Barrack,

Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, and Ocean Pines Police

Department to hold the Citizens Police Academy. The

partnership was very successful and opened the class up to

more citizens throughout the county.

Once again, Ocean City citizens showed their tremendous

support and donated hundreds of toys to OCPD’s annual toy

drive benefitting Worcester G.O.L.D. Thanks to the many

gracious citizens, the OCPD was able to donate hundreds of

toys, ensuring that all Worcester County families had a very

Merry Christmas.

The Patrol Division provides the initial response to all calls

for police service and works around the clock every day to

prevent crime in Ocean City. The Patrol Division is the

largest division in the department and over two-thirds of our

officers are currently assigned to this division.

Prior to 2018, several state and local agencies worked to

assist homeless individuals in and around Ocean City with

very little coordination. That changed this year with the

creation of the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT). The HOT

Team is comprised of representatives from the OCPD,

Worcester County Health Department, Local Behavioral

Health Authority, Department of Social Services, Ocean

City Crisis Coalition, and Atlantic General Hospital. The

teams mission is to coordinate efforts to offer outreach to

homeless individuals throughout the county, particularly

Ocean City, in a more coordinated and efficient way.

Since the HOT Team began working together, they have

made contact with nearly 40 individuals and been able to

house nine individuals, either permanently or temporarily.

Additionally, the HOT Team has assisted 14 individuals with

food assistance applications, and five with getting needed

medical care.

The Mounted Unit is a vital part of the OCPD, not only

concerning enforcement but also community relations. In

2018, the Mounted Unit revamped its training program for

new riders, modeling it after the most prestigious police

mounted units in the country. Additionally, one new horse,

“Moose”, joined the Mounted Unit bringing the total number

of horses to five.

License plate readers (LPRs) have been an essential tool

for the OCPD for the last several years. LPRs automatically

notify dispatchers when a vehicle comes into Ocean City

that is owned by a wanted individual, is stolen, or even if

the vehicle is attached to an AMBER Alert or missing

individual. Countless cases have been closed because of

evidence and information gleaned from both fixed and

mobile license plate readers. Because of grant funding from

the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention, all

entrances and exits into and out of Ocean City are now

covered by an LPR. This provides officers and detectives

with a vital investigative tool and allows officers to take

criminals into custody as soon as they enter Ocean City.

As a resort community, Ocean City hosts dozens of events

throughout the year. In 2018, officers assisted with over 25

major events and parades. Many of these events require

significant assistance from the OCPD, some even requiring

great number of officers and many hours of commitment.

The Criminal Investigation Division (CID) is made up of six specialized units: Major Crimes, Forensic Services, Crime Analysis, Narcotics & Vice, Intelligence, and Special Enforcement.

The mission of the Major Crimes Unit is to investigate the most serious crimes and incidents. Detectives are tasked with providing around the clock on-call coverage throughout the year. Major Crimes detectives work seamlessly with patrol officers, other detectives within CID, and the

community to solve and reduce crime in Ocean City.

Just one extensive case that detectives closed this year occurred in May 2018. The Major Crimes Unit investigated a theft of approximately $50,000 from a local church. The suspect was immediately identified as the church secretary, who was responsible for bookkeeping and financial matters for the church. The suspect admitted she had been stealing money but estimated the total amount stolen to be $75,000, at most. After an extensive review, detectives determined that over $141,600 had been stolen. The suspect turned herself in and ultimately plead guilty to embezzlement, forgery, and theft. The suspect was sentenced to 25 years in prison, with all but ten years suspended. The suspect

was also ordered to pay restitution.

In 2018, the Major Crimes Unit investigated 152 cases, including 32 Part 1 offenses, which are the most serious of crimes. Detectives also assisted patrol officers in over 42 cases. The team of specially trained detectives was able to successfully close 92 percent of the cases investigated

within the unit in 2018. This exceeds the national average.

The Forensic Services Unit (FSU) is staffed by three civilian crime scene technicians. FSU works closely with officers

and detectives to solve cases.

The Special Enforcement Unit (SEU) works primarily in a plain-clothes capacity and constantly varies its schedule, working during peak hours in locations where a high level of criminal activity is anticipated.

In 2018, SEU detectives made 104 arrests for crimes ranging from peace and good order to robberies and felony assaults. Additionally, SEU assisted the Patrol Division in a plain-clothes capacity from Memorial Day through July 4 which resulted in several arrests.

One notable case that SEU took on was an investigation into two individuals suspected of being involved in the burglary of a local hotel in November 2018. The suspects had stolen three televisions. During the course of the investigation, detectives learned of an additional burglary at another hotel where 17 televisions were stolen. Two suspects were ultimately arrested by SEU detectives for the burglaries. A total of five televisions were recovered in addition to several other stolen items.

One of the many missions of the Narcotics & Vice Unit is ensuring drug distribution suspects are held accountable for the death of victims who overdose on the drugs provided by

the distributors.

Just one example of the unit’s dedication to this goal occurred in May 2018. The OCPD investigated a fatal heroin overdose and a witness on scene informed officers that he had obtained heroin for the victim. Autopsy results confirmed the cause of death to involve the presence of fentanyl in the victim’s body. Narcotics Unit detectives determined the witness (suspect) supplied the fentanyl to the victim. The investigation led detectives to discover that the suspect had knowledge that he was purchasing fentanyl, which he provided to the victim later that day. The suspect was ultimately indicted for distributing fentanyl and a fentanyl mixture to the victim, and was sentenced to 15

years in prison with all but five years suspended.

In 2018, detectives set up and conducted 50 undercover drug buys, made 83 arrests, and executed 35 search

warrants.

Crime Scenes Processed 107

Evidence Submissions 3,086

Digital Evidence Requests 1,872

Latent Fingerprint Hits to Suspects 30

DNA Hits to Suspects 10

Firearm Traces 43

The Support Services Division is comprised of four

sections: Human Resources (Training & Recruiting),

Services Management, Budget & Financial Services and

Records Management.

OCPD prides itself in having the best and brightest police

officers in the region and the Recruiting Team strives to

ensure that the department’s high standards are met.

Members of the Recruiting Team visited 77 colleges and

military institutions to recruit for the upcoming 2019 summer

season.

In preparation for the 2018 summer season, 237 applicants

tested for police officer positions, 53 of which were hired for

seasonal officers. Nineteen seasonal officers returned from

the summer of 2017 which made a total of 72 seasonal

officers for the 2018 summer season. There were 145

applicants for public safety aide positions, 71 of which were

hired. Sixteen former seasonal public safety aides returned

for a total of 87 public safety aides hired for the 2018

summer season.

In late 2018, five new recruits began entrance level training

in Carroll County and in January, three new recruits began

entrance level training at the Eastern Shore Criminal

Justice Academy. When they graduate in June, the

department will be fully staffed at 106 full-time sworn

officers.

Public safety will always be our top priority while

recognizing our responsibility to be prudent and fiscally

responsible. OCPD frequently applies for available grants to

supplement the Department’s budget. In the 2018 fiscal

year, OCPD received $577,368 in grant funding and

finished $684,385 under budget.

The Records Management Section serves as the central

repository for police records storage. In 2018, Records

personnel completed a multitude of essential tasks

including reviewing over 6,400 incident reports, preparing

over 2,400 case files for prosecution, processing 810

expungement orders, fulfilling 1,328 report requests and

ensuring that more than 7,600 court summonses were

recorded and delivered. Records personnel also prepare

the Uniform Crime Report that is provided to the FBI each

month.

Additionally, the Records Management Section is tasked

with the billing and collection duties related to the Inlet

parking lot, as well as the collection of parking fines. This

includes daily camera review and correction of all unpaid

fines at the Inlet Parking Lot, preparing files for invoice

preparation and mailing, and fielding customer inquiries by

phone and online to resolve discrepancies. In 2018,

approximately 32,000 Inlet Parking Lot invoices were

processed through the Records Management Section and

more than 1,500 online appeals were resolved.

2016 $19,940,334 $19,736,502 $203,832

2017 $20,414,002 $20,207,464 $206,538

2018 $21,379,983 $20,695,598 $684,385

Since 1999, the OCPD has trained civilians to support the police department staff and serve the citizens of Ocean City. These citizens provide volunteer services to supplement OCPD personnel in the performance of specific

duties in important operational areas, such as:

■ Town of Ocean City special events, such as Springfest, Sunfest and Winterfest;

■ Administrative support for the Support Services Division, including the Front Desk;

■ Reducing the Availability of Alcohol to Minors (RAAM) program;

■ Citizens Police Academy; ■ Play It Safe Events.

Since 1999, the Auxiliary Officer Program has provided 62,874 hours of service to the OCPD and the Town of Ocean City. This has resulted in a savings of approximately $2.2 million to the Town of Ocean City over the last 20

years.

In 2018, ten Auxiliary Officers contributed a total of 2,483.5 hours of service, resulting in an estimated cost savings of

over $81,700.

In 2019, the Auxiliary Officer Program will reach it’s 20th Anniversary. At the 2018 Neighborhood Watch Officer of the Year Ceremony on January 25, 2019, Tonja Sas, Dorothy Morse, and Charlie Judd were each named “Auxiliary Officer of the Year” for being a part of the program since its inception. Each of them have been critical to the program over the years and have served a combined total of 16,055 hours.

The OCPD is always looking for new members to fill the ranks of the Auxiliary Officer Program. To become an Auxiliary Officer, citizens must first attend the Citizens Police Academy, which takes place each fall. Upon completion, citizens will be required to complete a background check and additional training specific to the duties of an Auxiliary Officer.

Patrol 1,012

Support Services (Front Desk) 1,041

Community Programs 281

Auxiliary Unit Administrative Tasks 141

Training 8

Auxiliary Officers Kathy Grimes and Colleen Douglas provide

security at Sundaes in the Park events at Northside Park.

Ray Austin Captain

Elton Harmon Captain

Greg DeGiovanni Lieutenant

Dennis Eade Lieutenant

Frank Wrench Lieutenant

Allen Hawk Sergeant

Freddie Howard Sergeant

James Runkles Sergeant

Rick Wawrzeniak Sergeant

Jeffrey Heiser Corporal

Jeff Johns Corporal

Kyle Murray Corporal

Christopher Wrench Corporal

Herbert Jenkins Police Officer First Class

Jessica Johnson Police Officer First Class

Mary Chaney Custody Officer

Lucinda Kuehn Custody Officer

Pfc. Michael Karsnitz

Lt. Dennis Eade Sgt. Joseph Bushnell

Sgt. Charles Kelley Pfc. Ryan Flanagan

Pfc. Jacob Fetterolf Ofc. Connor Finch

Lt. Greg DeGiovanni Sgt. Freddie Howard

Cpl. Jeffrey Johns Cpl. Michael Kelly

Cpl. Kyle Murray Pfc. Likeke Arlington

Pfc. Joseph Centofranchi Pfc. Ryan Flanagan

Pfc. Kevin Flower Pfc. Amy Gutowski

Pfc. Daniel Jacobs Pfc. Nathan Kutz

Pfc. Sean McHugh Pfc. Edward Newcomb

Pfc. Carl Perry Pfc. David Whitmer (2)

Pfc. Joseph Zurla Ofc. Harry Miller

Ofc. Riley Scott SO Christopher Palmer

K-9 Unit

Daniel W. Burt, Ocean City

Louis B. Lombardo, Ocean City

Pfc. Nathan Kutz was chosen as the 2018 Officer of the

Year by seven Neighborhood Watch leaders in Ocean City.

A call for service is generated for nearly anything that an officer does while on duty. This can include a traffic stop,

residential security check, lost child or major criminal event just to name a few. Criminal and non-criminal incidents are

documented equally. In 2018, the number of officer calls for service increased by over 6,000 calls - another

example of officers being proactive and dedicated to duty.

1,698 1,683 1,451 1,465 4,703 10,875 12,432 9,017 4,987 2,798 1,954 1,420 54,483

966 633 798 902 2,104 3,179 3,500 3,100 2,253 1,030 694 623 19,782

2,664 2,316 2,249 2,367 6,807 14,054 15,932 12,117 7,240 3,828 2,648 2,043 74,265

* The number of calls for service listed on this page does not include business checks. The total number of calls for

service including business checks was 83,490.

56,536 55,599 54,242

46,107

56,234 54,483

21,878 21,777 22,508 22,523 21,093 19,782

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Officer Initiated

Citizen Initiated

The Uniform Crime Report (UCR) is submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation each year by the Ocean City Police

Department and includes all serious crimes which occurred in Ocean City. The UCR is a resource used nationwide to

compare one community to another. The transient nature of the resort must be taken into consideration when comparing

Ocean City’s UCR statistics with other jurisdictions.

Criminal Homicide 1 0 1 1 0 2 1 -100%

Forcible Rape 14 9 14 27 9 12 15 -40%

Robbery 14 17 28 32 14 20 22 -36%

Aggravated Assault 58 61 48 55 63 39 52 21%

Simple Assault 856 793 778 758 711 667 779 -14%

Burglary 220 152 142 113 113 156 157 -28%

Larceny/Theft 1,082 999 900 895 707 1,041 983 -28%

Motor Vehicle Theft 24 12 16 26 12 32 22 -45%

TOTAL PART 1 OFFENSES 2,206 2,028 1,907 1,860 1,585 2,158 2,032 -22%

Criminal Homicide 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Forcible Rape 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 2 1 1 1 0

Robbery 0 0 0 0 2 5 3 2 0 2 0 0

Aggravated Assault 4 6 2 2 9 14 9 8 5 1 3 0

Simple Assault 21 15 12 25 63 133 149 123 70 26 9 21

Burglary 7 7 8 8 15 18 16 13 6 3 6 6

Larceny/Theft 13 15 16 31 55 156 168 129 50 30 30 14

Motor Vehicle Theft 0 0 0 0 3 2 2 1 1 2 0 1

TOTAL 45 44 38 67 149 328 347 278 133 65 49 42

The table below depicts the spike in criminal incidents during the summer months. Over 60 percent of the crime that

occurred in 2018 took place in June, July and August.

2013 109 1,287

2014 77 1,325

2015 74 820

2016 79 611

2017 58 616

2018 44 650

2013 3,021 1,164

2014 2,894 885

2015* 2,535 189

2016 2,079 108

2017 2,372 76

2018 2,199 113

65 73 75 66 224 543 405 295 235 97 61 60

1 1 1 3 11 40 23 16 14 3 0 0

*According to Uniform Crime Reporting.

* In October 2014, possession of marijuana <10 grams was

changed from a criminal offense to a civil offense.

Alcohol 728

Marijuana <10 grams 542

Smoking 435

Public Urination 84

Skateboard/Bicycle 32

Noise 29

Taxi 3

Other Civil Citations 204

The Ocean City Police Department began

using conducted electrical weapons

(C.E.W.), commonly referred to as

TASER’s, in February 2012 in an effort to

decrease injuries to officers and suspects.

In many cases, more than one C.E.W. use

may take place during an incident. For

example, an officer may display his/her

C.E.W. in order to gain compliance but if

the suspect refuses to cooperate, the officer

may deploy his/her C.E.W. This one

incident counts as a “Display” and a

“Deployment”.

■ Display: C.E.W. is removed from the

holster, not aimed at the suspect. This

is done to simply make the device visible to the suspect.

■ Warning Arc: C.E.W. is removed from the holster and the officer engages the noise of the electrical charge to get the

suspect’s attention.

■ Target: C.E.W. is aimed at the suspect with the lasers clearly indicating where probes will hit the suspect if the officer

were to activate the device.

■ Deployment: C.E.W. was deployed in order to gain compliance. A deployment involves the probes entering the

suspect’s body, in addition to drive stuns.

In 2018, OCPD officers were assaulted a total of 75 times, 11 of which

resulted in an injury to the officer. This shows just how dangerous the job

of a police officer can be. Assaults may be in the form of physical or non-

physical violence and may or may not result in injury to the officer involved.

2013 72

2014 84

2015 73

2016 85

2017 75

2018 75

25 25 26

4 3 5

39 34 25

1919

14

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

2016 2017 2018

Display Warning Arc Target Deplo yment

2013 26 0

2014 33 0

2015 17 0

2016 22 1

2017 23 2

2018 22 1

2013 19 0

2014 31 0

2015 23 0

2016 26 0

2017 30 1

2018 26 0

2013 504 0

2014 533 0

2015 594 0

2016 651 2

2017 621 3

2018 547 1

170 282 169 163 895 803 766 701 1,638 526 173 241 6,527

414 537 422 383 797 1,903 1,683 1,307 1,283 999 477 430 10,635

9 13 8 11 25 35 44 39 28 10 11 12 245

Communications/Dispatch Center: 410-723-6600 OCPD Front Desk: 410-723-6610 Crime Tip Hotline: 410-520-5136