On Tuesday, September 22, 2026, the Public Safety, Health and Human Services Committee of the Prince George's County Council met at 10:00 AM in Committee Room 2027. The meeting was streamed live. Present were Chair Wanika Fisher, Council Member Edward Burroughs, and Council Member Krystal Oriadha. Vice Chair Wala Blegay and Council Member Danielle Hunter were absent. The committee considered a briefing on the implementation of Executive Order No. 13-2026 (transferring DPIE's enforcement division to the Office of Homeland Security) and legislation (CB-123-2026) codifying the transfer and increasing fines.
Director Katina Gomez of the Office of Homeland Security (OHS) presented the restructuring, highlighting that code compliance now includes divisions for single-family rental, short-term rental, multi-housing, vacant properties, zoning, and property maintenance. The transition began in early 2026, with Executive Order 13-2026 effective July 24, 2026. Ongoing steps include transferring HR and fiscal functions, rebranding fleet vehicles, and finalizing an MOU. Early achievements included the Golden Standard Initiative (all 39 senior living communities inspected regularly), tobacco/convenience store initiatives (over 300 stores), shopping center initiatives, and the clean lot program, which received FY27 funding after being unfunded in FY26. The clean lot program allows the county to abate conditions and place liens. OHS is also supporting illegal dumping strike force initiatives.
Council Member Fisher asked about inspector safety in high-crime areas, noting that the transition to OHS under public safety could streamline police escorts. Director Gomez confirmed partnerships with police and health departments. Fisher also raised concerns about proactive enforcement versus complaint-driven responses, citing shopping cart violations at major retailers. She noted that a bill she sponsored requires retailers to have cart retention mechanisms; non-compliant stores should be cited. The committee discussed using 311 service requests, but Fisher argued that reliance on complaints disadvantages districts with lower report rates. Assistant Director Rease noted that nine new enforcement liaison positions (one per council district) were funded in FY27 budget, though OHS had not yet received details from OMB. Fisher also urged tracking data on fines to support future state legislation raising maximum fines to $10,000 for repeat offenses (currently $5,000). Deputy Director Hinton confirmed data tracking initiatives.
Council Member Burroughs asked about enforcement of flashing light restrictions at tobacco/liquor stores. Director Gomez said a list of violations could be sent for action. Burroughs commended enforcement agent Santiago for responsiveness. Gomez clarified that the clean lot program applies to both vacant and occupied properties. Burroughs noted pending legislation to allow interior inspections with law enforcement accompaniment.
Council Member Oriadha requested proactive enforcement and evening hours to address nighttime violations (e.g., lights). Director Gomez confirmed that new hires would have later shift hours. Oriadha also requested periodic evaluations of existing legislation (e.g., clean lot violation thresholds) to identify needed tweaks. Assistant Director Rease reported that OHS is working with police on issuing radios to inspectors for constant communication and is updating the 311 system. Deputy Director Bryant is meeting with council district staff to streamline constituent service referrals.
CB-123-2026 amends multiple County Code subtitles to transfer enforcement, licensing, and inspection authority from DPIE to OHS and increases civil fines and penalties. Committee Director Anya Makarova presented the bill. Budget analyst David Noto stated there would be no direct fiscal impact; the transfer is administrative, and increased fines may improve compliance and reduce litigation. The Office of Law confirmed legal sufficiency. Council Member Burroughs moved for a favorable recommendation, seconded by Council Member Oriadha.
Okay. Good morning, Prince George's County. This is the Public Safety Health and Human Services Committee. We do not have a quorum right now, but I'm gonna start committee as we are not required to have a quorum for presentations but for legislation. Today is Tuesday, September 22nd. Um, this meeting is being held in committee room 2027 and is available on public viewing at PGC Council.us slash live. Um, Madam Clerk, you can call the role, but the role is me. Chair Fisher. I am present. At this time, we do not have Council Member Barrels. Oh my favorite. Okay, at this time we do not have a quorum, but we'll continue with our presentation. I would uh like to introduce our brand new committee director, Anya uh Makova. Am I saying that right? Makova. I'm always messing it up. Good morning, everybody. Makarova. Makarova. I'm so sorry, madam committee director. Um, welcome. And I'll note that we have two items on today's agenda, a briefing, which we'll start with, and then one legislative item. Um, Madam Director, if you want to introduce our director, and we can get into the presentation. Yes, absolutely. Thank you so very much, Chair Fisher. This briefing was requested to give the committee visibility into the transition of enforcement functions from DPI to the Office of Homeland Security under Executive Order 13-2026, ahead of the committee's consideration of CB 123 from this year, which would codify the transfer uh in the county code. We have representatives from the Office of Homeland Security as well as the Department of Permitting Inspections and Enforcement here with us today. And I would like to thank Ms. Eleni Hernandez Amaya, Special Assistant to Director Gomez for coordinating today's um uh meeting and joining us from the Office of Homeland Security. We have Dr. Katina Gomez, the director. We have Anthony Rees, Assistant Director, Regis Bryan, Deputy Director, Crystal Tipps, Assistant Associate Director, and from the Department of Permitting Inspections and Enforcement. We're joined by Director David Abraham Lamont Hinton, Deputy Director, and Ms. Peris, Chief of Staff. And I will turn it over to the Director Gomez for the presentation. And I'm sorry, madam director. We could just call the role because we have quorum and then I'll get ready for Madam Director. Chair Fisher, present. Councilmember Barrows. Council Chair Oyata. Here. Three members present at roll call. Thank you. We are in quorum, Madam Director. Thank you. Good morning, everyone. We are here to just go over the transition of what we known as the enforcement aspect of DPI to the Office of Homeland Security. We would like to start with our presentation, and we'll just get into the structure of Office of Homeland Security Security. I would say the restructure of the Office of Homeland Security. So we'll start with me as the director.