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Public Safety
Latest reporting from the Public Safety desk.
Public Safety
View MoreMontgomery County Council set to vote on rewritten ghost gun and firearms law
The Montgomery County Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday, July 21, on Expedited Bill 23-26, which rewrites the county's firearms laws after a state Supreme Court ruling struck down several gun-free-zone provisions as exceeding the county's authority.
Public Safety
View MoreCounty bill would bar convicted traffickers from reopening massage businesses
Montgomery County Councilmember Dawn Luedtke introduced Bill 34-26 on Tuesday, July 21, which would bar anyone convicted of human trafficking or prostitution offenses from obtaining a bodywork establishment license, closing a loophole that has allowed illegal operators to reopen under new business names after enforcement actions.
Public Safety
View MoreWildfire smoke pushes Bethesda to Code Red air quality Friday as heat index hits 105
Montgomery County faces Code Orange air quality Thursday from Canadian wildfire smoke combined with 105-degree heat index values, with the Maryland Department of the Environment forecasting Code Red conditions statewide on Friday when the air will be unhealthy for everyone.
Public Safety
View MoreBethesda congregations receive security grants as hate crimes climb in Maryland
Montgomery County awarded nearly $40,000 in security grants to three Bethesda-area congregations as part of a $1.7 million program expanded by $500,000 in response to rising hate crimes and escalating conflict in the Middle East.
Public Safety
View MoreMontgomery County police seek help finding two missing teens
Montgomery County police issued back-to-back appeals on July 14 for two missing Gaithersburg teenagers, 17-year-old Hanady Hart and 14-year-old Karla Mayeli Cruz Membreno, as the department's Special Victims Investigations Division handles a surge of missing-youth cases this month.
Public Safety
View MoreHeat index could hit 106 degrees in Bethesda area; Wednesday expected most dangerous
Montgomery County officials warn Bethesda-area residents of dangerous heat through Friday, July 17, with heat index values up to 106°F and a National Weather Service Heat Advisory in effect Wednesday, July 15, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Public Safety
View MoreMan gets 39 months in federal prison for EBT skimming scheme cracked by Montgomery County Police
Florin Serdaru, 29, was sentenced Tuesday to 39 months in federal prison for a SNAP benefits fraud conspiracy that used skimming devices to steal EBT card data and make fraudulent bulk purchases — a case Montgomery County Police helped crack after recovering 353 cans of baby formula during a 2022 traffic stop.
Public Safety
View MoreMontgomery County Council holds hearing on street racing ban
The Montgomery County Council holds a public hearing Tuesday, July 14, on Bill 27-26, which would ban street racing and vehicle takeovers on county roads following a February incident in Chevy Chase that damaged two police cruisers.
Public Safety
View MoreChevy Chase man faces 20 child pornography charges on top of rape counts
Michael Raul Bilecky, 42, a Chevy Chase resident and creator of the "Pillars of the Past" YouTube channel, faces 20 misdemeanor child pornography charges filed June 24 in addition to seven felony rape counts, with trials scheduled for August and October 2026 in Montgomery County courts.
Public Safety
View MoreThree Whitman juniors build nonprofits serving Bethesda neighbors
Three Walt Whitman High School juniors in Bethesda have built nonprofits and volunteer projects serving local families, including one who delivered 15,000 pounds of food to an MCPS elementary school and was named Montgomery County's Youth Volunteer of the Year in June 2026.
Public Safety
View MoreSilver Spring house fire kills two women, injures firefighter
Two women died and a Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service firefighter was injured in an early-morning house fire near Plyers Mill Road and Brunswick Avenue in Silver Spring on Sunday, July 6.
Public Safety
View MoreCrews extricate trapped occupant after vehicle overturns on Pooks Hill Road
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue crews extricated a trapped occupant from a vehicle that rolled onto its side on the 5100 block of Pooks Hill Road in Bethesda on the evening of Tuesday, July 7.
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