by Karen Kodjanian
On Thursday, January 5, Montgomery County 6th District Police Commander Dinesh Patil met with Village residents, updating them on crime trend comparisons between 2015 and 2016; outreach and communication efforts and programs; and introducing the new Deputy Commander. There were 40 residents, members of the Montgomery Village Foundation (MVF) Board of Directors and MVF staff in attendance.

Commander Patil began the meeting by updating those in attendance on some new programs in place to reach the community. He provided a copy of the monthly bulletin prepared by his office and said future bulletins can be viewed on the Montgomery Village website, adding that if residents want to be included in a group e-mail, they can notify Director of Community Management Karen Kodjanian at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with their e-mail address, and the information will be provided to his department. The 6th District has been piloting a program on “Next Door” to get information out to the communities as close to “real time” as possible. Patil further added that information can also be obtained through Twitter. He noted that overall, recent crime trends for both the county and the 6th District have declined this year compared to 2015.

On the issue of Theft from Autos, Patil again stressed the need to lock car doors and not leave valuables in plain sight or with keys in the vehicles. He reported the majority of car thefts and theft recently have been juveniles looking for joy rides who gained access to vehicles unlocked and with keys in the cars.

Responding to concerns regarding noise disturbances and public nuisance matters, the Commander urged residents to call 911 if they feel safety is an issue. Callers do have an option to remain anonymous, but not calling does not help or stop the problem. Residents may also call the non-emergency number, 301-279-8000, if there is police matter but life safety is not of concern. As the current MCPD slogan reminds, when you ‘”See Something, Say Something.”

Although, Commander Patil still hopes to be able to add more officers to his staff, he was pleased to announce Lieutenant Jordan Satinsky has joined his team as Deputy Commander. He can be reached vis e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Lieutenant Satinsky welcomes the opportunity, if requested, to attend board meetings, discuss updates with individual boards and hear from residents regarding matters of importance. Officer Scott Zimmerman, the former Community Services Officer, decided to change his position to patrol officer for personal reasons. He is still in the community, just not acting in the same role. The search for a new Community Services Officer is in process.