DC Government

Q. When will Initiative 71 become law?
A. 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, February 26, 2015.

From the Mayor’s office:

“Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser, Police Chief Cathy Lanier and other administration officials outlined the District’s plan to ensure the safe, responsible administration of Initiative 71.

“In November, residents of the District of Columbia voted to legalize small amounts of marijuana by adults for personal, in-home use in the District,” said Mayor Bowser. “We will uphold the letter and the spirit of the initiative that was passed last year, and we will establish the Initiative 71 Task Force to coordinate our enforcement, awareness and engagement efforts and address policy questions as they arise.”

Implementation of Initiative 71 represents an incremental change from the District’s law which decriminalized marijuana. The Bowser Administration has laid out clear expectations for what is lawful and what remains illegal.

Under Initiative 71, individuals 21 years of age or older will be able to lawfully:

· Possess two ounces or less of marijuana;

· Use marijuana on private property;

· Transfer one ounce or less of marijuana to another person, as long as:

1. no money, goods or services are exchanged; and

2. the recipient is 21 years of age or older; and

· Cultivate within his or her primary residence up to six marijuana plants, no more than three of which are mature.

Under Initiative 71, it will remain a crime for anyone to:

· Possess more than two ounces of marijuana;

· Smoke or otherwise consume marijuana on public space or anywhere to which the public is invited; including restaurants, bars, and coffee shops;

· Sell any amount of marijuana to another person; or

· Operate a vehicle or boat under the influence of marijuana. (more…)

From the Mayor’s office:

“Today, Mayor Bowser released a new web video outlining her Administration’s commitment to working with residents to develop strategies to close the District’s quarter billion dollar gap while developing smart solutions to support our key priorities, like investing in education, job training, infrastructure and affordable housing. The video comes a day before Mayor Bowser will hold her first of three Budget Engagement Forums, which are designed as interactive discussions where DC residents can provide input to help shape priorities.

Mayor Bowser and Administration Officials have been attending dozens of community meetings across the District this month to discuss the Mayor’s budget priorities. The Budget Engagement Forums are scheduled for Thursday, February 19 at Wilson High School, Saturday, February 21 at Anacostia High School, and Monday, February 23 at Dunbar High School.

For more information and to register to attend a Budget Engagement Forum, click here.

SCRIPT:

Hi – I’m Mayor Muriel Bowser.

A month in, I could not be happier and prouder to be your Mayor.

On the campaign trail, I promised to deliver the District a Fresh Start and that’s what my Administration is doing.

We have brought on top talent and are laying the groundwork to grow the District’s economy and leave it in a better place for future generations.

Our city is on the move. We have the fastest improving urban school district in the nation. A thousand new residents are making DC home every month and our communities are thriving.

While we are a city with great opportunities, we also have big challenges.

When I came into office I inherited past successes, failures and overdue promises.

For example:

· We have a streetcar line that never had a plan to launch effectively.

· We have housing costs rising at such a pace that many long-time residents can’t afford to live in their own city.

· And on top of that, our city faces a quarter billion dollar budget gap.

That’s right – a quarter billion dollars.

How did we get here? (more…)

From MPD:

“The Metropolitan Police Department announced today the deployment of new photo enforced locations beginning on or about February 17, 2015. The deployment locations for the Photo Enforcement Units will be sites where speeding and pedestrian safety has been identified to be a problem.

The 30 day educational phase, or “warning period”, will commence on or about February 17, 2015. During this period, violators will receive warning citations. After the 30 day warning period, MPD will begin issuing live moving citations to violators. The new photo enforcement locations are [above].”

Photo by PoPville flickr user Eric P.

“Dear PoPville,

When did MPD become an advertising mouthpiece for a private security company?!

These posts telling ordinary citizens to be more cautious and afraid have a real effect on the 99.5%[1] of us that are not victims of crime every year. The only person that is to blame for a home invasion, a mid-gas-pumping car theft, or an abduction of a child walking alone, is the criminal and not the homeowner, driver or parent; no matter if we leave our doors open, or allow our children to walk alone to the park.

It’s great that not enough real crime is happening so we have to manufacture fear with the theoretical. Please please just focus on catching criminals, rather than telling us all to be scared and suspicious of our neighbors.

[1] http://mpdc.dc.gov/page/crime-statistics-citywide”

Following is the email sent MPD 4D listserv, links removed go to Ackerman Security:

“We’ve Been Robbed!”: 6-Point Checklist of What to Do After a Home Break-In

It’s an unsettling experience.

Many homeowners feel so violated after a home break-in that they either panic or just don’t know what to do.

It’s not surprising. After all, your seemingly safe sanctuary has been invaded, and your sense of security has been crushed.

However, you need to be level-headed in this crucial moment.

By mentally preparing yourself ahead of time, you can act quickly, increasing your chances of catching the burglars and getting your stuff back.

Here’s a 6-point checklist of things you should do after a home break-in.

1) Call the police

Contacting the authorities is priority number one. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to catch the burglars and/or get your stolen items back.

If you have security monitoring with Ackerman Security, we take care of this for you. Once we get a signal that your home was broken into, we contact the police and give them your location.

2) Write down everything ASAP

Were you home when the burglar entered? Did you see them? Write down everything you can recall about them as soon as possible because you may forget. This will assist the police in finding the culprit(s).

Details you should write down include:

· How many intruders there were
· Sex
· Age
· Race
· Clothes they wore
· How they entered (and what property they damaged to enter)
· Where they went

It’s even better If you have a security camera. Then you don’t have to recall anything—the security camera does it for you and in more detail. Let the police know if you have a security camera and make sure they see the footage.

Learn more: Top 3 places to install security cameras to catch burglars.

3) Take pictures—but don’t disturb anything

It’s important you don’t disturb the crime scene until the police arrive. You need to show them the conditions of your home as close as possible to how you found your home after the crime.

With that in mind, take pictures of the crime scene without disturbing anything, including areas where items were stolen and entrances burglars used to get into your home. You’ll need this for insurance purposes to prove certain items were stolen and that certain areas of the home were damaged.

It also helps it you have pictures or receipts of the items before they were stolen.

4) File a report

When the police arrive they should give you your filing options, including going down to the police station and filing a report or filing the report online.

5) File an insurance claim

Once you have your police report, immediately contact your home/renter insurance company.

It’s important to file the police report first because your insurance company will need the report number and a lot of information that’s in the report, including the point of entry, property damaged, items stolen, etc.

Later, an adjuster may come out. All your work before will pay off now, because you’ll need to explain your situation, provide receipts and/or pictures of items stolen and property damaged.

6) Identify your security weak points and strengthen them

Now that you’ve done all you can to get your items back, it’s time to repair and strengthen your home so this never happens again.

So, here’s the good news if you’re reading this and your home has not been broken into: You can strengthen your home now and save yourself the trouble of steps 1-5.

Here are 3 articles showing how to strengthen home entryways that burglars usually use to break into a home:

· Warning: Your Windows Are a Security Weak Link—Here’s the Solution
· Why You Need to Kickproof Your Doors…Even if You Have an Alarm System
· Top 3 Places to Install Security Cameras to Catch Burglars

Want to beef up your home’s security?

Talk to one of our security consultants for help. They’ll find your home’s security weak points and find the right solution to strengthen your home against attackers.

Lieutenant Michelle Ridlehoover
Metropolitan Police Department
Fourth District PSA 405
6001 Georgia Avenue NW

Photo by PoPville flickr user John Sonderman

From Mayor Bowser’s office:

“Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser, Acting Director of the DC Department of Human Services (DHS) Laura Zeilinger, and Interagency Council on Homelessness Director Kristy Greenwalt held a press conference at the Virginia Williams Resource Center to announce an innovative initiative to help homeless families find quality, affordable housing.

The initiative allocates funding for a variety of programs designed to help families exit homelessness by providing the services and financial assistance needed to regain stability in housing.

The District will assemble a team of leasing specialists, inspectors, social service professionals as “housing navigators” who are charged with identifying housing opportunities and matching units to clients based on need. (more…)