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The Gazette ROCKVILLE | ASPEN HILL | POTOMAC | OLNEY
DA I LY U P DAT E S AT G A Z E T T E . N E T
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
County police: We rarely use surplus military equipment Montgomery gets mine-resistant truck; agencies acquire rifles n
BY
DANIEL LEADERMAN STAFF WRITER
Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger said he was “horrified” when he saw images of Ferguson, Mo., police on top of an armored vehicle, pointing weapons at protesters. By now, the pictures have come to define the conflict in Ferguson: police dressed for battle in camouflage riot gear and pointing rifles at crowds, some perched on top of tank-like armored vehicles, the line between small-town America and war zone suddenly hazy. Protests sprung up after the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teen by a white police officer. Use of this military equipment — often surplus gear acquired from the Pentagon — has drawn criticism from police leaders, civil-rights activists and latenight talk show hosts, but police in Montgomery County
say there’s a time and a place for it, as well as a right and a wrong way to employ it. Montgomery County police have three armored vehicles including a large, mine-resistant truck, or MRAP — valued at $733,000 — that the department obtained from the federal government in July. “We use them when they’re supposed to be used, and we don’t use them when they shouldn’t be used,” Manger said. “You’d never see them in a crowd-control situation. You’d never see them at a protest.” This surplus military equipment — from armored vehicles and guns to sleeping bags, filing cabinets and label makers — is passed from the Department of Defense to local law-enforcement agencies through the 1033 program, initially established in the early 1990s to support antidrug activities. The items are provided to police at no cost, saving taxpayers money, Manger said. Weapons and tactical equipment remain federal property.
See POLICE, Page A-10
Rockville festival will celebrate the pawpaw Event to feature fruit native to Maryland
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BY
RYAN MARSHALL STAFF WRITER
It’s a fruit whose pulp can be scooped up like pudding, tastes kind of like a banana and was a favorite of some of America’s Founding Fathers. It’s the pawpaw. The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission festival will hold its second Pawpaw Festival on Sunday at the Meadowside Nature Center in Rockville. The event will feature music, storytelling, crafts, games, experts talking about pawpaw cultivation and a pawpaw tasting station. Pawpaws also will be available to purchase. The pawpaw is native to the eastern U.S., although they’re also grown in other parts of the country including California and parts of the Pacific Northwest. Despite a long history stretching back to eastern American Indians and being a favorite of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, the pawpaw is an enigmatic fruit. The taste has been described
n What: Montgomery Parks Second Pawpaw Festival n When: noon to 4 p.m. Sunday n Where: Meadowside Nature Center, 5100 Meadowside Lane, Rockville n Admission: $5
as a cross between mango and banana, with hints of coconut and other tastes, although the specific taste varies depending on where and how the fruits are grown, said Donna Davis, a forester with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The texture is similar to that of a very ripe banana, she said, leaving the “sweet, creamy, custardy deliciousness” of the fruit’s flesh able to be scooped out with a spoon. Yet despite the general sweetness of the pulp, the skin can be bitter to many and the entire fruit can taste awful if eaten before it’s ripe, Davis said. “You have to have a little bit of finesse” about when you pick and eat them, she said.
See PAWPAW, Page A-10
U.S. Capital for a Day
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BY
TERRI HOGAN STAFF WRITER
PHOTOS BY GEORGE P. SMITH/FOR THE GAZETTE
President Madison, portrayed by historical performer John Douglas Hall, during Brookeville’s Capital for a Day Bicentennial celebration Saturday.
Brookville’s storied past BY
TERRI HOGAN
STAFF WRITER
More than 7,500 visitors joined hundreds of military and living history re-enactors and town residents this weekend to celebrate the town of Brookeville’s 200th anniversary of its role as U.S. Capital for a Day. Brookeville was transformed into an authentic period town whose Quaker population provided hospitality to government officials, soldiers and refugees fleeing Washington as British troops burned the Capitol, White House and city buildings in August 1814. On Saturday, re-enactors portraying President Madison, Gen. John Mason, Attorney General Benjamin Rush — portrayed by Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett — and the Maryland Light Dragoons arrived in a procession to the residence of Postmaster Caleb and Henrietta Bentley, where they were given shelter and food. Brookeville residents Duane and Sandra Heiler have authentically restored the historic dwelling, now known as Madison House. Sandra Heiler was chairwoman of Brookeville’s War of 1812 Bicentennial Commission. The Madison House is one of 11 buildings in town that remain from 1814. The nation’s war plans, Senate papers, and gold and silver from the city’s banks were allegedly hidden beneath the floorboards in a secure
Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett participates in Brookeville’s bicentennial celebration, re-enacting the role of Attorney General Richard Rush. room that served as the post office. Brookeville’s U.S. Capital for a Day Celebration included dozens of demonstrations of life in 1814, tours of archaeology sites at the Madison House and Thomas Mill, a historic Quaker-style dinner, period children’s games, music and storytelling.
The Olney community is still reeling this week, after a holiday weekend car crash claimed the life of one teen and injured two others. Among those mourning the death of 15-year-old Shawn Richard Gangloff was Emily Levine, who said she was his girlfriend. “He was so lovable, and always had a smile on his face,” Levine said Sunday afternoon, as friends gathered at a makeshift memorial. “He made me feel so loved and so happy, and when I wasn’t with him, I missed him.” They had been dating for two months, although they had been close since the beginning of the year, and she admitted that she had liked him since seventh grade. Levine said she had been with him the night of the crash, which occurred early Saturday, when the car the boys were in left the road and struck a tree, a light pole and a telephone box, and rolled over. “I wish I had more time with him,” she said. “I’ve been visiting him here and talking to him all weekend, and brought him flowers and a note.” It’s not yet clear what caused the crash. Police and rescue personnel arrived at the area of Hines Road and Macduff Avenue in Olney at about 1:23 a.m. and found the driver and the occupant of the front passenger seat trapped in the car, a 2011 Chrysler 200 convertible, according to the Montgomery County Police Department. Gangloff, of the 17600 block of Princess Anne Drive, had been riding in the back seat and was thrown from the car. He died of his injuries at a local hospital
See CRASH, Page A-10
Tree cutting may prompt second look at Pepco law Feldman awaits court ruling to see if judge finds ‘ambiguity’ n
BY
KATE S. ALEXANDER STAFF WRITER
As Potomac residents await a hearing in their suit to stop Pepco from cutting down their trees, lawmakers are questioning what can be done to control how the utility goes about meeting its mandate for reliability. The General Assembly in 2011 passed a law requiring utilities to improve reliability, but Pepco’s aggressive tree-cutting and
HEAT OF THE DESERT
Round House brings Sam Shepard’s “Fool for Love” to life.
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Crash shatters Olney n High school boy dies, two hurt in single-car wreck
trimming to meet that mandate has the law’s chief sponsor wondering if an amendment is needed. “There seems like there could be some ambiguity and some gaps that would be areas that we would take a look at,” Sen. Brian J. Feldman said. Feldman (D-Dist. 15) of Potomac was lead sponsor on the bill while serving in the House of Delegates. “I want to see how this litigation plays out and where the court comes down. The court may find areas really in need of clarification.
See TREE, Page A-10
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Schoolmates on Sunday created this memorial for Shawn Gangloff at the crash site on Hines Road in Olney.