Billy Bridges

Housing Coordinate housing for new employees in law enforcement and education. Healthcare Assigning mental health specialists to mobile health units will also be a priority. Education More alternative schools will be created, and reform schools for the most disruptive students. Economy Facilitate jobs and temporary housing for those returning from incarceration. Healthcare Enlarge the size and scope of the County Health Department, to allow more mobile health units to service communities that are high risk for health concerns and pre-existing conditions. Taxes / Budget Create a County Rainy Day Fund, to handle any unforeseen negative economic impact that would normally require a tax increase on residents. Infrastructure / Transportation Institute a County Cleanup and Beautification Program that will keep our streets clean and neat at all times. This includes twice weekly trash pickup. Criminal Justice / Public Safety Officers will only be assigned patrols in the neighborhood in which they live. This might encompass a five-mile radius. Wages / Job Benefits Increase minimum wage to the required area rate, while offering tax exemptions and tax credits to small business owners to offset the wage increase. Criminal Justice / Public Safety Monthly psychiatric exams for each PSO, to make sure they are mentally capable of serving their community. Education New school construction will be accelerated, without any creative financing or developer deals. Economy Aggressively try to match each high school and college graduate, who are not continuing their studies, with potential employers. Guns To deal with excess guns on the streets, the Public Safety Department will engage in three steps. First, we will hold Turn-in Events to allow those in possession of weapons to turn them in, without questions. Secondly, through Crime Stopper, any citizen that knows of someone illegally in possession of a firearm, they can report it anonymously and receive from 2,000 to 5,000. Thirdly, those illegally in possession of a firearm, including ghost guns, will be fined 2000 to 5000. For minors, their parents or guardians will be expected to pay the fine. Healthcare Volunteer mental health teams will be recruited to respond to calls by concerned citizens, 24 hours each day. For safety purposes, each team will be accompanied by a Public Safety Officer. Criminal Justice / Public Safety Eorganize the police department into the Public Safety Department. The officers will now be Public Safety Officers (PSO), and not police. This changes the mindset about the mission. Criminal Justice / Public Safety Surveillance cameras throughout Prince George’s County, to address crime prevention and apprehension. Criminal Justice / Public Safety Each sidearm will be laser-sighted. This prevents unnecessary fatalities when an officer must discharge a weapon. Criminal Justice / Public Safety Officers will be provided with better armor and body cameras. Education Realign the whole organizational chart to remove redundant positions and create a management and instructional system that makes sense. Economy Develop business sites and pads to encourage certain high tech industries to relocate here. Education Create position of Dean of Academic Affairs to be responsible for student records, doing informal observations, assisting new teachers in learning the curriculum, Testing, and other duties related specifically to curriculum. Education Testing will be reduced to semi-annual or annual. The endless benchmarks will be discontinued, as well as unnecessary data collection. Education More teachers will be hired and recruited, to reduce class sizes. Healthcare Open at least one charity hospital that will serve those that truly cannot afford to pay for health care. The hospital will be staffed by volunteer doctors, nurses, medical students, and support personnel.