It is a honor for Kensington Park to have as one of its contributing volunteers Montgomery County Police Asst. Chief Betsy Davis. Betsy is a native of Silver Spring and a graduate of Towson University. She joined the Police Department in 1985 and rose through the ranks primarily with assignments in the Silver Spring, Bethesda, Rockville and Gaithersburg Districts. In 2000, she became the Deputy Commander of the Rockville District, and in 2002 achieved the rank of Captain. Following this appointment, Betsy was named Commander and command the Bethesda, and then, the Silver Spring District. In 2007, she was appointed Assistant Chief of Police and commanded the Patrol Division. She currently commends the Field Services Division. During her years of service, she has been in the vortex of many challenging events including the Amtrak crash in Kensington, the D.C. area Sniper event, the Discovery Building bomber in Silver Spring, and the recent disturbances in Baltimore. Her numerous accolades include:
- Bernard D. Crook Community Service Award
- American Legion Law Officer of the Year for Maryland Award
- Mid-Atlantic Assn. of Women in Law Enforcement Leadership Award
Betsy’s involvement with seniors originated when her father moved into an Assisted Living facility in 2009. At that time, the Executive Director there was none other than our own Mary Mell. Betsy and Mary were longtime friends going back to school days. Consequently, Mary knew of her friend’s passion for cameras, and encouraged her to begin a photography class for the residents. Betsy, with equipment donations from the Police Department organized a great program that fired the imaginations of her students with fun and creativity.
Not surprisingly, when Mary Mell became Executive Director at KP, she extended the same opportunity to Betsy to continue revealing the world of photography to our residents. Betsy now has 10 devoted students who are having a fabulous time snapping pictures with cameras provided by their fine teacher. In addition, she helps out with special events and gives lectures on how the elderly can avoid being crime victims. Recently, Betsy received certification as an Assisted Living Manager, and plans to put it to good use after her retirement from the Police Dept. in 2017. That will be terrific news for many a senior in the years to come.