Crime

“Aggravated assaults declined citywide but remained high in some DC neighborhoods”

From Urban Institute:

“Public safety is the focus of the latest chapter of the Urban Institute’s Our Changing City interactive web feature, which tells the story of change in the District of Columbia.

Known in the 1990s as the nation’s “murder capital,” this chapter explores how DC went on to experience dramatic drops in violent crime from 2000 to 2014, particularly in places like the Navy Yard, Gallery Place, and downtown. However, this summer’s spike in violence has demonstrated that there is still a clear need for innovative strategies to protect communities from violence and support healthy development for residents affected by it.

While it’s too early to tell if the violence we have seen this summer is the start of a worrying new trend, we know violent crime inflicts devastating harms on DC’s communities. The tragic loss of life challenges us to respond with a sense of urgency and deliver innovative new strategies to build safer, healthier cities.

If we want to make a meaningful impact on these issues and make DC a safer place for all, we must employ a holistic public safety approach. It must go beyond policing to include social services and give communities a leading voice in designing and delivering these services.

To learn more about violent crime patterns in the District, explore the newest chapter of Our Changing City.“

Photo by PoPville flickr user John Sonderman

From MPD 5th District Assistant Patrol District Commander:

“The Metropolitan Police Department’s Fifth Police District is proud to announce the upcoming deployment dates for our All Hands on Deck (AHOD) 2015 August Initiative, commencing Friday, August 28 at 3 pm and continuing through 6 am on Sunday, August 30, 2015.

During AHOD, all available sworn MPD personnel are placed on patrol throughout the District emphasizing community policing, focused law enforcement and community outreach. This includes increased foot patrols, detectives following up on cases, and police recruits passing out specific crime related information. There is no departmental use of overtime associated with our AHOD.

AHOD is about reducing violent crime and increasing police visibility. The Fifth Police District has made a substantial impact during our past AHOD’s due to the continued support of our residents and the dedication and hard work of our officers.

The dates for this AHOD were selected based on predictive analysis using past data to indicate when violence is likely to occur which allows us to strategically deploy our resources accordingly.

This year, under the leadership and direction of Commander William Fitzgerald, we seek your assistance in developing our deployment plan and request your input in deploying foot patrols within our community. This is your opportunity to directly assist us in creating foot patrols in areas of need during this AHOD. All suggestions and recommendations shall be forwarded to Captain Mark Beach no later than Sunday, August 9th at: [email protected]

The All Hands on Deck began in 2007 as part of Chief Lanier’s Summer Crime initiative aimed at capping traditional summer crime trends by putting more officers on patrol and engaging them in one-on-one interactions with residents.

As always; anyone who is the victim of a crime or witnesses a crime in progress should call 911 immediately. Individuals who have information regarding crimes should call police at 202-727-9099. Additionally anonymous information may be submitted to the TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411.”

US Park Police reports:

“investigating report of shooting at 17 and Independence SW PIO on scene”

Thanks to all who sent emails about the DC Police Union’s Synthetic Marijuana: The Red Herring for DC’s Spike in Crime:

“After another violent week in D.C., five more people have been murdered, bringing this year’s total homicides to 84. The District is now on pace to see yearly totals we have not seen since 2008. The increasing murders aren’t the only problem. Both violent crime and property crime are following the same trends. The media has turned to the Chief and the Mayor for answers, and they’ll both tell you the same line: Synthetic marijuana is on the rise and causing unchecked violence. What they won’t show you is any data that supports that position. No arrest stats, no seizures of the nefarious product, no statistics showing how the rise in use correlates to the violence, or even that there’s any rise in use in the first place. They’ll just give you some anecdotal evidence of a handful of overdoses, an increase in ambulance trips to the ER, and some stories of bizarre behavior exhibited by users (which is akin to users of PCP―a notorious D.C. street drug). After describing the irrational actions of users, the administration then leaps to the conclusion that this is the reason that thefts, robberies, burglaries, assaults, and even murders are skyrocketing. So the question is this: How could these issues be so intertwined? Well, the D.C. Police Union doesn’t believe they are.

The story of synthetic marijuana as the catalyst for epidemic violence is a convenient one, but a fallacy none the less. What’s a more likely scenario? That MPD is understaffed and has been abruptly stripped of 125 officers who took a proactive, tactical and learned approach to making thousands of arrests per year, and now crime and violence is filling this new void? Or is it that some chemical sold in shady corner stores has turned the entire city into homicidal maniacs? You be the judge. And the next time someone tells you the problem is synthetic marijuana, ask for the stats and research. Don’t be deceived by this administration’s (Synthetic) Reefer Madness.”

Read the full post here.