MPD Info on “rash of street robberies” in Capitol Hill

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From MPD:

As many of you are aware we have experienced a rash of street robberies recently in the Capital Hill area of the First District. We experience increases of crime in various areas at times; however, our concern is heightened due to the exaggeration of this anomaly. I wanted to share some information concerning these offenses for your personal awareness.

Most frequent days of occurrence have been Fridays and Saturdays, with Friday accounting for 43% of the offenses
The peak time of the offenses is from 8:00 p.m. to midnight ( 70% )
Almost 90% of the robberies involve 2-3 suspects
Half of the robberies involved the theft of cell phones/I-phones

Lt. Eddie Fowler, PSA 106, has implemented an operational plan to address the issue. Although we can not share specifics of his plan, I understand the community’s concerns and desire for information and want to advise that the below strategies have been implemented.

PSA personnel has been redeployed to the target areas
1D district-wide units have been deployed to the target areas
Several city-wide units have agreed to schedule some of their deployment in the area
CSOSA (DC’s version of Probation & Parole) has partnered with us to schedule “accountability visits” to persons under their supervision who reside in the area.
The First District Detective Unit has consolidated the assignment of these robberies to assist with identifying related offenses
A 1D tactical unit has been assigned to work within the area and coordinate information with investigators

I would like to assure you that the First District is doing everything we can to address these issues; we have dedicated officers and managers who are focused on the situation. While we work to address the crime pattern we ask for the community assistance by adhering to the robbery prevention tips that were posted in the listserv and by calling 911 whenever you see suspicious activity and/or suspicious persons.