News Releases

Montgomery County Police Investigating Anti-Semitic Vandalism

For Immediate Release: Saturday, December 17, 2022

Below is a message from Chief Marcus Jones regarding recent anti-Semitic vandalism in Bethesda. 

For the second time in one month, the Montgomery County Department of Police is investigating anti-Semitic vandalism in our community.

On Saturday, December 17, 2022, at approximately 8:04 a.m., Montgomery County Police 2nd District officers were dispatched to Walt Whitman High School on Whittier Blvd in Bethesda, for the report of anti-Semitic graffiti spray painted on the school’s sign board.

The case has been assigned to an investigator and they are working to obtain any images of possible suspects. There is currently no suspect in custody.

On November 14, anti-Semitic graffiti was discovered on the Bethesda Trolley Trail.

Acts of hate and bigotry are on the rise across the country and in Montgomery County. Anti-Semitism and any forms of hate/bias are not welcome in our community. The Montgomery County Police Department takes these events seriously, has coordinated with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and continues to investigate and identify the person(s) responsible for these incidents. Officers are also actively increasing patrols to include community centers, schools and places of worship throughout the county.

As a community, we must work together to protect the diversity that our county offers, and we need to reject anti-Semitism and hatred of any kind.

Additional information about reporting a hate bias event can be found on the department’s website:  https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/pol/howdoI/report-a-hate-bias-incident.html. 

Marcus G. Jones
Chief of Police

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Release ID: 22-621
Media Contact: S.D. Goff 
Categories: vandalism