LARGO, Md.--Reports of police brutality in New York City and Los Angeles dominate the news but America's most-affluent and well-educated Black enclave--Prince George's County, Md., could possibly be the most dangerous area in the country for Blacks, when it comes to police violence against citizens.

P.G. County police, for years, have had a notorious reputation for use of excessive force, with rogue officers roaming streets with impunity. Yet over the last decade, county residents seemed to have been lulled into a false sense of security. A series of incidents, culminating in April, served as a wake-up call. Two jury verdicts totaling nearly $5 million were awarded to a Black man who was beaten by police, losing his right eye and partial use of his left hand, and a Salvadoran immigrant, who was handcuffed to a utility pole.

In a third case, county state's attorney Jack Johnson said he would not pursue criminal charges against police officers who killed a Black man in their custody, Elmer Newman, whose death was ruled a homicide. Mr. Johnson cited a lack of cooperation from police as the reason for his decision.

The state's attorney was already taking heat for his refusal to reopen the Archie Elliott case. Mr. Elliott, shot 14 times, was killed by police in 1993. He was seated and handcuffed in the front seat of a police car. The two officers involved were exonerated.

The fact that the county has a Black county executive, a Black state's attorney, as well as a Black congressman, haven't protected its Black population, 57 percent of all residents, from police violence. Over the last 12 months, 10 victims have died in police custody in this D.C. suburb.

Recently released statistics showed a 63 percent overall increase in complaints against county police last year, with a 66 percent increase in complaints alleging excessive force.

"Many improvements have been made, many officers are doing a tremendous job, but many shouldn't be tolerated. We got here by talking about the status many have achieved in P.G. County, but not addressing the serious problems. We can no longer sit idly by and not tell the truth. County officials and leaders have been ignoring the pain and suffering of families losing loved ones," said Eugene Grant, a community activist and member of county Police Chief John Farrell's citizen advisory board.

Mr. Grant was a panelist at a town hall meeting, "P.G. County--Reality or False Perception," sponsored by media mogul and Radio One founder Cathy Hughes. A standing-room-only crowd filled the auditorium at P.G. Community College, which holds several hundred people. Talk-show host and activist Joe Madison, who, along with former D.C. Delegate Rev. Walter Fauntroy, led protests in the county and in Annapolis calling for reopening the Elliot case, moderated the forum. The two men's "Enough is Enough" movement has held similar meetings around the country, primarily for victims of police violence to tell their stories.

County police officers "stand for death to my sons. I don't trust (police) and I tell my sons not to trust the police. I'm seriously scared for my two sons," testified forum attendee Ivan Thompson.

"We've rolled in here on a river of the blood of those wrongly killed by police," added state Senator Clarence Mitchell. He and state Delegate Salami Marietta have introduced legislation calling for special prosecutors to investigate cases where police are alleged to have wrongly killed citizens and state's attorneys fail to prosecute.

Sen. Mitchell also hinted that he is considering calling state's attorney Johnson to testify before the Maryland legislature, to explain not prosecuting officers in the Newman case and not reopening the Elliot case.

All of the top county officials failed to attend the meeting. Rep. Albert Wynn (D), County Executive Wane Curry, State's Attorney Johnson and police chief John Farrell were all no-shows, though Mr. Curry and Mr. Farrell sent representatives.

Their absence merely added to the frustration of the audience. "The police and officials protect their own but you can't hide this under the rug. That Elliott case should be reopened. I've been a police officer for 36 years and I can't believe it. People are disappointed that the main folks that needed to be there weren't," said P.G. Community College officer Ralph Tappscott.

County Executive Curry is forming a task force to look into allegations of police brutality and the Justice Department is mulling an investigation of county police for systematic civil rights violations. But an ACLU representative cautioned the audience not to expect too much from such probes. Atty. Chris Griffiths, lawyer for the Newman family, noted, "Some county police officers have two civil judgments against them for excessive force and are still on the streets. There's no accountability."