SafeRoadsMD held a demonstration Thursday morning outside the grand opening of Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services’ (ABS) newest Liquor & Wine store in Gaithersburg, calling on County leaders to increase efforts to recruit and retain police officers.
The roadway-safety advocacy group gathered outside the new Flower Hill store at 18251 Flower Hill Way ahead of its 9:45am ribbon-cutting ceremony. The demonstration was not in opposition to the store opening or alcohol sales. Instead, SafeRoadsMD said it wanted to draw attention to what it views as a contrast between revenue generated through the County’s alcohol operations and ongoing police staffing challenges.
SafeRoadsMD argues that the police staffing shortage has affected the County’s ability to provide sustained traffic enforcement aimed at impaired driving, speeding and reckless driving. The group is calling on County leaders to dedicate additional resources toward recruiting and retaining officers…