Is PGC311 a Scam?

[PGLivin]

Originally Posted by DCBornAndRaised

You are not alone. There are a lot of us out here who have the same observation. What happens is then the service request just gets submitted again. If anyone wants to entertain themselves all they need do is scroll through the "status" of service requests to see the number of requests that have been re-submitted because they were closed out without any detailed explanation and without "resolution". For some they have had the same problem for 3 years or more and still nothing is being done. It is especially notable for "private property concerns". It's as if somebody does not want to do the work.

There was a hearing held by the county council earlier this year seeking comments from the county residents regarding DPIE. They got an earful. There is a problem with code enforcement and I dare any council member to say otherwise. Also, there are not enough inspectors to field service requests for the county. I believe the current budget finally includes additional inspectors, but for the size of the county and the number of legitimate service request there are still likely not enough inspectors for expeditious resolution.

It is not your imagination. There is empirical evidence to support your perspective. That's what's so frustrating. It takes forever to get codes enforced and honestly, you cannot depend on reporting it to 311. You've got to wear people out associated with DPIE and wear your council member out and wear out the police department with your complaint until you get satisfaction. If the service request is closed out without sufficient resolution, resubmit it and include the service request numbers and dates for all the earlier submissions for the same issue, so that someone will be held accountable for doing nothing!

Thanks so much for the reply. I will follow each of your tips and share with others! Do you have any tips on how we should wear people out associated with DPIE? Do you simply find emails on the web and keep sending them complaints?

[deerparksoda]

Some summary data pulled from PGC311.com on the Private Property Concerns service types. Most issues are closed with no violations found. Some are closed as "Construction Issue" and split into a permit ticket, and a bunch of others are closed with an error. 2 in this data set got real code violations (SR 23-00040609 and SR 23-00040609)

Closure Reason (Number of Issues)

The property was inspected and no violations were found. 712
This location was previously reported and is being investigated. Please refer to the comments sectio 80
Thank you for your service request. Based on the details you have provided, the service type “Constr 79
The service address provided is not handled by Prince Georges County and we cannot complete an inves 32
Due to insufficient information we are unable to complete an investigation. Please resubmit your req 22
Thank you for your request. Unfortunately we are not able to process your request, please see commen 19
The County has determined that code violations exist on this property, it will take all necessary en 2
Third attempt to contact resident was made unsuccessfully. Unfortunately an investigation can not be 1
Thank you for your request, the service address provided is not handled by Prince George's County an 1
Incomplete address provided - FMC 1
Incomplete address - FMC 1

Grand Total 951

Originally Posted by DCBornAndRaised

There was a hearing held by the county council earlier this year seeking comments from the county residents regarding DPIE. They got an earful. There is a problem with code enforcement and I dare any council member to say otherwise. Also, there are not enough inspectors to field service requests for the county. I believe the current budget finally includes additional inspectors, but for the size of the county and the number of legitimate service request there are still likely not enough inspectors for expeditious resolution.

@DCBornandRaised - how do we get involved with the DPIE feedback/hearing process you mentioned? I'd love to know about and support these in the future.

[DCBornAndRaised]

Originally Posted by PGLivin

Thanks so much for the reply. I will follow each of your tips and share with others! Do you have any tips on how we should wear people out associated with DPIE? Do you simply find emails on the web and keep sending them complaints?

I will come back later with greater detail but freestyling:

Make sure your county council member knows who you are and make your concerns known about DPIE and any other part of county government with which you take issue.

If there is a code violation or violation of any county ordinance, report it to PGC311.com, EVERY time it occurs. Record the service request number and maintain a list of the service request numbers and the nature of the problems reported.

When you do not get an appropriate response from DPIE - e.g., private property concerns - provide to your council member all of the service request numbers and the absence of an appropriate response from DPIE.

Communicate with your "community police officer" and provide a listing of any service requests that might have involved the police and DPIE - e.g., noise ordinance enforcement. Copy your council member on everything. Also most council members have constituent services staff. Find out who that is and copy that person on all emails.

You are going to have to do the work to find out who all these players are. There is a staff directory for county government online. If you cannot find the email address online, call the office and ask for the email address so you can begin sending emails re your concerns.

If you are not getting the response from the police department that you need contact your District Commander. If necessary copy the District Commander on emails to your community police officer. For that matter, if you are at your wits end, start copying EVERYBODY on every email you send - e.g., council member, constituent services coordinator in the council member's office, community police officer, police District Commander.

If you are really frustrated, start including the DPIE administrators - Director, Assistant Director - on your emails. And when you email, if you have service request numbers that have not been satisfactorily addressed, be sure to include each and every one of them listed with the date of submission.

[DCBornAndRaised]

Originally Posted by deerparksoda

Some summary data pulled from PGC311.com on the Private Property Concerns service types. Most issues are closed with no violations found. Some are closed as "Construction Issue" and split into a permit ticket, and a bunch of others are closed with an error. 2 in this data set got real code violations (SR 23-00040609 and SR 23-00040609)

Closure Reason (Number of Issues)

The property was inspected and no violations were found. 712
This location was previously reported and is being investigated. Please refer to the comments sectio 80
Thank you for your service request. Based on the details you have provided, the service type “Constr 79
The service address provided is not handled by Prince Georges County and we cannot complete an inves 32
Due to insufficient information we are unable to complete an investigation. Please resubmit your req 22
Thank you for your request. Unfortunately we are not able to process your request, please see commen 19
The County has determined that code violations exist on this property, it will take all necessary en 2
Third attempt to contact resident was made unsuccessfully. Unfortunately an investigation can not be 1
Thank you for your request, the service address provided is not handled by Prince George's County an 1
Incomplete address provided - FMC 1
Incomplete address - FMC 1

Grand Total 951





@DCBornandRaised - how do we get involved with the DPIE feedback/hearing process you mentioned? I'd love to know about and support these in the future.

Your county council member needs to know who you are. Make sure you are on any listserv/newsletter distribution for the council member. Also sign up for Council Connections that reports out at least weekly what is going on with the county council with regard to hearings, proposed legislation, county actions, etc. https://pgccouncil.us/586/CouncilConnection

[SethGrayson]

Originally Posted by North Beach Person

You know, I didn't think of that piece. If he's in a municipality then the County might not have jurisdiction (although with the way municipalities are set up in Prince George's with their relationship to the County that would be somewhat rare).

Municipalities in PG run their own show and their local code inspector is what prods people.

I know University Park's code enforcement is actually under their police Chief. I doubt their enforcement actions are search in the county database. So, whatever the OP is complaining about, it is NOT related to municipal areas like College Park, Mount Rainier, Riverdale, Berwyn, Berwyn Heights, etc.

Likewise, in Moco, the City of Gaithersburg, Rockville, and Takoma Park have their own jurisdiction exclusive from the county's DHCA.

[DCBornAndRaised]

As a resident of an unincorporated area, I can tell you that the problem IMO has been DPIE. We have nowhere else to take private property concerns. It's in situations like these that I wished I lived in a municipality even though my taxes would be higher. At least our concerns have a better chance of being attended too.

Let's hope with the new director of DPIE there will be a noticeable change in code enforcement - both inside homes and outside homes. There is no point in having all of these ordinances on the books if there is no enforcement. That has been the problem for too long in Prince George's County. Too many excuses about what can and cannot be done, especially from inspectors.

(By the way when now Senate Candidate Alsobrooks became County Executive, during her first term she promised more code enforcement inspectors. It did not happen. It was not in the budget. And there wasn't much in the second budget either to address the huge problem of enforcing property standards. The number of inspectors for the size of this county is pitiful. And likely some of the responsibility for this shortcoming also belongs with the county council too.)

Code violations have run amuck. If there are ordinances on the books that cannot be enforced there are 2 options. Correct them so they can be enforced or provide the personnel with the authority to do what is necessary to enforce them. Code enforcement needs to be a priority or the county will continue to lose residents - especially the middle class - who will move somewhere that they believe is respecting and valuing their tax dollars.