PSA 102 Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
7-8:30 p.m.
Sherwood Recreation Center

>>> IN ATTENDANCE <<<
Giuliana Dunham- Community Prosecutor for District 1, Dept. of Justice
Lt. Sharon Mcinnis – MPD, PSA 102 LT
Sgt. Washington – MPD, PSA 102
Ofc. Simmons – MPD, PSA 102
Alphonso Coles (Community Outreach Coordinator)
David Klavitter (New PSA 102 Citizen Co-Coordinator)
Marc Lesnick (New PSA 102 Citizen Co-Coordinator)
Roger Mattioli (previous PSA coordinator and current PSA 102 statistician)
Other Community Members and MPD Officers

>>> FOLLOW-UP FROM PREVIOUS FEB. 14 MEETING <<<
* Lt. Mcinnis said that two separate foot-beats have now been implemented on H St NE, from 4th to 14th Sreets NE. A one-officer day shift with Ofc. Williams happens Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. A two-officer evening shift with Officers Nguyn and Walsh happens Tuesday through Saturday from 2:30-11 p.m. The lack of a foot-beat after staff transition within PSA102 was a serious concern raised at previous meetings.

* Meeting minutes, charts, photographs and more can be accessed on the PSA 102 website at http://psa102.blogspot.com.

>>> MINUTES <<<
* COMMUNITY PROSECUTOR GIULIANA DUNHAM of the U.S. Attorneys Office spoke to the group about how decisions are made to charges persons arrested in D.C., and under what circumstances persons arrested would not be charged. She explained how prosecutions in D.C. differ from other jurisdiction, since all prosecutions here are undertaken by the Department of Justice, not local prosecutors. Interestingly, she discussed how the limited space in D.C. jail for those awaiting trial leads to limits placement of more persons in half-way houses and could influence a judge’s decision to dismiss cases.

Other points to note:

The community prosecutor’s office also handles nuisance property abatement (that is, properties that sponsor actual crimes, drug or otherwise), and she suggested that she can be contacted directly to begin this process. She stated that the number of calls for service to the location does have an impact in their ability to abate nuisance properties. A member of the community also mentioned that “Operation Crackdown” still is active, and can be contacted to deal with problem properties as well.

Dunham suggested that while the photos often taken by neighborhood people to document drug activity are not sufficient for prosecution, they could be used as additional evidence at a trial if they are of sufficient quality.

Since MPD and FBI total crime stats do not include drug crimes, Roger Mattioli asked if it was possible to get monthly drug crime stats/maps (something the PSA has requested for a long time), and Dunham stated that she would help with this request.

A SHARP INCREASE IN BURGLARIES was highlighted during February’s meeting—a trend which appears to be continuing. Lt. Mcinnis stated MPD has allocated additional officer hours—including some in plainclothes—to address this increase. The community eagerly awaits the results of this plan. It was noted that almost 50% of the burglaries in the First District occurred in PSA 102, which highlights the severity of this problem.

- Lt. Mcinnis said many of these burglaries occur during daylight hours while residents are at work;
- Most occur via rear windows or doors;
- And most are very rapid snatch and grab type of burglaries;
- Community members are reminded to report suspicious people in alleys by calling 311 or 911 as appropriate and to use house alarms where available.

ROBBERIES also are up, but this trend is not as prominent as burglaries. Lt. Mcinnis said two arrests were made March 6 in connection with one robbery. She said MPD is very aware of the increase in robbery numbers and has implemented an action plan to address this, including more plainclothes officers (also to help against burglaries). Residents are reminded when walking anywhere in the city to stay alert—especially when listening to an iPod or talking on a cell phone—and try to walk near better-lighted, busier streets and sidewalks.

SMALL MOTORBIKES driven recklessly are of concern to several community members. One neighbor said juveniles often drive these small motorbikes recklessly in some neighborhoods. MPD explained that these bikes are not technically illegal, and the police are not authorized to chase down these bikes when driven in an unsafe manner. MPD is actively trying to approach the juveniles off the bikes to defuse this problem in a proactive fashion.

TEMPORARY PARKING TAGS still are a problem on Capitol Hill. Many of these temporary tags are issued by Virginia or Maryland, reported one resident.

ACTION ITEM: Lt. McGinnis is planning an “Operation Fight Back” in May for PSA 102. This is a one or two block area targeted for street safety improvements and cleanup. This area needs to be one with strong neighborhood support, and that could be improved by increased attention. Volunteer blocks/neighborhoods are needed! Learn more about “Operation Fight Back”.

>>> ITEMS FOR THE NEXT MEETING ON TUESDAY, APRIL 11 <<<
* Contact Metro Transit Police to attend the April 11 meeting to hear the community’s concerns about crime at bus stops in PSA 102, and especially those on H St. NE.

* Assess burglary situation, to see if arrests have been made or stats show frequency decreasing.