Berwyn Heights, Maryland
| Berwyn Heights, Maryland | |||
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| — Town — | |||
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| Coordinates: 38°59′38″N 76°54′44″W / 38.99389°N 76.91222°WCoordinates: 38°59′38″N 76°54′44″W / 38.99389°N 76.91222°W | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Maryland | ||
| County | Prince George's | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 0.6 sq mi (1.7 km2) | ||
| • Land | 0.6 sq mi (1.7 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 112 ft (34 m) | ||
| Population (2010) | |||
| • Total | 3,123 | ||
| • Density | 4,758/sq mi (1,837.1/km2) | ||
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP code | 20740 | ||
| Area code(s) | 301 | ||
| FIPS code | 24-06925 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0597078 | ||
Berwyn Heights is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States.[1] The population was 3,123 at the 2010 census.[2] It is bordered by College Park to the west, Greenbelt to the northeast, East Riverdale to the southwest, and Riverdale Park to the south.
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[edit] History
Beginning in the 1870s, the area northeast of Washington, D.C. was the scene of active and continuous development as the population of the city increased and railroad suburbs such as Berwyn Heights, originally Charlton Heights, gradually grew and expanded around it. The O'Dea House, a home listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is one of the houses that was erected by the Charlton Heights Improvement Company to spur development of its new community.
[edit] 2008 police incident with mayor
In July 2008, a package containing 32 pounds (15 kg) of marijuana was shipped by FedEx from Arizona to Trinity Calvo, the wife of town mayor, Cheye Calvo. A drug-sniffing dog detected the marijuana in the package, and the Prince George's County Police Department intercepted the package. The police department called for help from the Prince George's County Sheriff's Office SWAT team, but did not contact the Berwyn Heights Police Department.
On July 29, 2008, a deputy from the sheriff's office took the package to the house and knocked on the door, pretending to be a delivery person. After the package was retrieved and taken inside, the SWAT team entered the house without knocking. The SWAT team shot both of the mayor's dogs, one of which while it was running away.[3] While the package sat unopened in the house, the mayor and his mother-in-law were both handcuffed and questioned.
The police soon determined that the mayor's family was likely the victim of a drug trafficking scheme. Two other individuals were later arrested, accused of shipping drugs to innocent people and intercepting the packages before the packages are taken in to the houses.
The Washington Post reported that, while the team had a warrant to enter the house, the warrant did not allow entry without knocking. In this case, police would only be allowed to enter without knocking if specific circumstances cause police to believe that evidence would be destroyed or police would be harmed; otherwise entering without knocking would be a violation of Maryland law. According to PG County Police, they entered the dwelling without knocking due to their security being in danger, they were spotted by someone inside the home, as they were surrounding the house.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the police raid.[4][5][6][7][8]
[edit] Historic sites
The following is a list of historic sites in Berwyn Heights identified by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission:[9]
| Site Name | Image | Location | M-NCPPC Inventory Number | Comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berwyn Heights Schoolhouse | 5814 Ruatan Street | 67-022-07 | ||
| 2 | Cissel House | 8911 57th Avenue | 67-022-18 | ||
| 3 | Cross House | 5805 Ruatan Street | 67-022-13 | ||
| 4 | Kleiner House | 5603 Ruatan Street | 67-022-17 | ||
| 5 | O’Dea House |  |
5804 Ruatan Street | 67-022-11 | Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 1987-06-04 |
| 6 | Pickett House | 8616 57th Avenue | 67-022-16 | ||
| 7 | Sportland | 5933 Natasha Drive | 67-005 | ||
| 8 | Elwood J. Taylor House | 8516 58th Avenue | 67-022-21 | ||
| 9 | Wetherald House | 8411 58th Avenue | 67-022-10 | ||
| 10 | Wolfe House | 5617 Ruatan Street | 67-022-15 |
[edit] Geography
Berwyn Heights is located at 38°59′38″N 76°54′44″W / 38.99389°N 76.91222°W (38.993810, -76.912344)[10].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2), all of it land.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 2,942 people, 1,022 households, and 713 families residing in the town. The population density was 4,552.9 people per square mile (1,747.6/km²). There were 1,047 housing units at an average density of 1,620.3 per square mile (621.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 71.79% White, 12.00% African American, 0.54% Native American, 8.57% Asian, 8.23% Hispanic or Latino, 4.38% from other races, and 2.72% from two or more races of the population.
There were 1,022 households out of which 27.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.8% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 19.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the town the population was spread out with 20.9% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 103.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $65,744, and the median income for a family was $69,013. Males had a median income of $42,525 versus $34,831 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,793. About 0.9% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.5% of those under age 18 and 1.6% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Education
Berwyn Heights is served by Prince George's County Public Schools. Berwyn Heights Elementary School is located in Berwyn Heights. Berwyn Heights is served by Berwyn Heights Elementary, Greenbelt Middle School (Greenbelt), and Parkdale High School (Riverdale Park).
[edit] Government
The current mayor of Berwyn Heights, first elected in 2004, is Cheye M. Calvo. Current council members are Patricia Dennison, Jeffrey Gourley, and Darald Lofgren. The town administrator is Edward J. Murphy.
The town has a police department [1], with Patrick Murphy as the Officer in Charge; a public works department, directed by Joseph Coleman; and a code enforcement department, directed by Sonjia Solomon. In 2005, the town became the first municipality in Maryland to establish a Public Safety Taxing District, which was authorized that year by the General Assembly. The district imposes a special tax on businesses to fund the cost of one full time officer and brought the authorized strength of the department to eight officers. Over the past several years, the town has struggled to maintain its full strength due to increased competition for police officers in the region, and due to qualified police officers leaving the department to seek more reasonable positions. The Town has responded in recent years by increasing salaries and is considering joining the Maryland state pension system. At 48.6 cents per $100 per assessed value, Berwyn Heights retains one of the lowest real property tax rates in Prince George's County. The town also benefits from numerous town committees and organizations. The town as of October 2008, has joined a State Retirement Pension, for its employees, and police officers. This was done in order to try to compete and to retain the police officers.
[edit] References
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Berwyn Heights, Maryland
- ^ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Berwyn Heights town, Maryland". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. http://factfinder2.census.gov. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
- ^ Associated Press (2008-07-31). "SWAT team raids Md. mayor's home, kills 2 dogs". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-07-31-mayor-raid_N.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-21.
- ^ "SWAT team kills 2 dogs in raid on Md. mayor's home". Associated Press. The Washington Post. July 31, 2008. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
- ^ 2 arrested in DC-area marijuana-smuggling scheme". Associated Press. The Washington Post. August 6, 2008. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
- ^ Helderman, Rosalind S. "Pr. George's Officers Lacked 'No-Knock' Warrant in Raid". The Washington Post. August 6, 2008. Retrieved August 7, 2008.
- ^ Helderman, Rosalind S.; Davis, Aaron C."FBI Launches Review of Berwyn Heights Raid". The Washington Post. August 8, 2008. Retrieved August 8, 2008.
- ^ Helderman, Rosalind S. "Residents Honor Mayor, Slain Dogs at Rally". The Washington Post. August 4, 2008. Retrieved August 8, 2008.
- ^ M-NCPPC Illustrated Inventory of Historic Sites (Prince George's County, Maryland), 2006.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
