PSA102 Neighborhood Public Safety Meetings

Citizen Moderators, PSA Lieutenant, Patrol Officers, Sergeants, US Attorney and DC Attorney General Offices, Community Outreach Specialists, Crime Statisticians, CSOSA, Meeting Recorder, and our fellow neighbors and business members. We tackle crime head on listening to what's important to you by formulating strategic responses with police and government interventions, enforcements, planning and policy considerations designed to eradicate nuisance, public safety and security concerns.

11 July, 2011

A Message from Commander Daniel Hickson

I have spent my first two weeks trying to absorb as much as I could concerning the current crime trends within the First District. The First District has made progress on reducing many categories of crime; however, one category of crime has been a chronic problem this year and that is the offense “theft other”. This would include all thefts that are other than “thefts from autos”. As police managers we continually view crime stats and offense reports attempting to identify any emerging crime trends and/or patterns. Thefts appear to be the one crime that is consistently showing an increase. Theft is not as serious an offense as crimes like robbery or burglary, but there is no question that due to shear numbers, more of your friends and neighbors stand a chance of being a victim of theft than any other crime.

The First District Crime Analyst has provided me with a detailed analysis of our thefts. This report shows that the locations of thefts within the First District are distributed between commercial, residential and public space. The one pattern that is clearly shown is that bicycles are the target of thefts more than anything else. In fact, bicycles were stolen in one third of all thefts that occurred in the First District in the last 30 days. I would like to appeal to all members of the First District Community to assist us in our attempt to address this pattern of theft of bicycles.

The first step that each person could take would be to store their bicycles in a secure location. There have been thefts of both locked and unlocked bicycles in the past month. In just about all cases that the stolen bicycle was locked, they were secured with a “cable” type bike lock, as opposed to the hard, U-shaped bike lock. The second step would be to maintain accurate records of all valuable property. Since there is seldom an eyewitness to the theft of a bike, the other opportunity to apprehend the criminal is through locating identifiable property. Unfortunately, we often discover when we take reports that bike owners have not recorded the bicycle serial number. If you record this valuable information and are able to provide it to the police in the event your bike is stolen, it would increase the chance of recovering your property.

I appreciate your assistance with helping us abate this crime trend.

Commander Daniel Hickson
Metropolitan Police Department
First District
101 M Street SW

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Police Ride-Along Program

Police Ride-Along Program
The Police Ride-Along program allows residents to accompany officers during their tour of duty in a police vehicle. This public education program gives residents a better understanding of police operations.
If you are interested in a ride-along, use the application below. You must also complete either an adult or juvenile release form.
Please print and complete the application and one of the releases below: Ride Along Application* Adult Release* Juvenile Release* (under 18 years of age)
Fax the application and release to the Patrol Services Bureau at (202) 576-8078 or send by mail to the address below. If the application is faxed, please call the Patrol Services Bureau the following day to ensure the paperwork was received. If the application was mailed, please call the Patrol Services Bureau in seven business days.
Completing this form does not guarantee that your ride-along request will be approved. It is the responsibility of the applicant to confirm receipt of the application.
For more information, contact:
Lieutenant Allan ThomasPatrol Services BureauMetropolitan Police Department 801 Shepherd St NWWashington, DC 20011202 576-6600 office202-576-8078 fax
or email: allan.thomas@dc.govor contact your 1st District Police

MPD’S ANONYMOUS CRIME TIP LINES

CALL OR TEXT THE MPD’S ANONYMOUS CRIME TIP LINES
District residents will soon notice a new advertising campaign to promote the MPD’s toll free tip lines. Watch for the ads on Metrorail and Metrobus lines throughout the city’s neighborhoods to appear this week. The crime tip line — 1-888-919-CRIME – is staffed by detectives 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Anyone who has information
concerning a homicide, gangs, guns, drugs, or other offenses can call the anonymous tip line, and a detective will report all information.

Additionally, community members can use their cell phones to
anonymously text tips to the Metropolitan Police Department. Give 5-0 the 4-1-1 with the new Text Tip Line: 50411. Text messages are monitored by members of the department 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Tips are then analyzed and passed on to the appropriate unit or division for follow up. Because the tip line is anonymous, the sender will not receive
a response to the original message.

BE Aware

USE COMMON SENSE

Report all crimes and any suspicious
activity or person immediately to the
MPD by dialing 911.
• Avoid walking alone late at night. Walk
in groups when you can.
• Always be aware of your surroundings,wherever you are. If you are wearing
headphones, do not turn up the volume so high that you cannot hear outside noises.
• Stay in well-lit or heavily traveled areas.
Avoid alleys, vacant lots, wooded areas, and other short-cuts or secluded areas.
• If someone attempts to rob you, do not resist. It is better to give up your property than to risk injury.

This is the 1st Police District

Also known as 1D. There is a sub-station call 1D1.

First District Community

Located in the lower central portion of the District of Columbia, the First District is home to the city's business and political center. It includes some of our nation's most recognized and cherished landmarks, as well as some of the city's most interesting and diverse neighborhoods.

Because it has both a district station and a substation, the First District is divided operationally into two areas: west and east. The western part of the district includes the US Capitol (House, Senate), the White House, Federal Triangle, the downtown business district (including the Convention Center and the Verizon Center), Chinatown, H Street, Florida Avenue to the south, Benning Road to the south and the waterfront. Most residences in this area are in the Southwest quadrant near the waterfront, although there is a growing resident population in such "downtown" communities as Penn Quarter.

The eastern part of the district, which is served by the 1D-1 Substation, includes the historic Capitol Hill neighborhood and the Washington Navy Yard. Capitol Hill is one of the oldest sections of the city, with many historic homes and buildings, including the US Supreme Court, Library of Congress, Eastern Market and Union Station.

With the PSA restructuring that took effect in May 2004, the First District now has seven Police Service Areas (or PSAs).

Crime Prevention Starts with Cleaning Up in Front and Behind Your House

SOLID WASTE EDUCATION AND ENFORCEMENT PROGRAM
Keeping DC clean is a team effort - involving city government, residents and businesses - and DPW provides the tools for everyone to get on board. The Solid Waste Education and Enforcement Program (SWEEP) is responsible for sanitation education and enforcement, and provides a variety of services to District residents to combat illegal dumping, clean up vacant lots, and support neighborhood clean-ups. When education does not result in following proper sanitation practices, SWEEP inspectors will enforce the sanitation regulations.

Juvenile Firesetter's Intervention

Juvenile Firesetter's Intervention Program

The Facts
Fires and burns are the leading causes of injury and death to children.
Children are twice as likely to die in fire than adults.
Even toddlers can start a fire with a match or a lighter.
Nationally, of every 100 people who die in child-set fires, 85 are children.

The Program
The Juvenile Firesetter's Intervention Program is a short-term counseling/education intervention program designed to enlighten parents and children about fire safety and the consequences of fire. Our service identifies at-risk juveniles ranging in ages from 2 to 17. It is also designed to assess the juvenile's need for short-term counseling or outside long-term counseling services.

Referrals
Primarily, referrals are made by members of the fire department and the juvenile court who come in contact with juveniles who are involved in fire incidents; however, anyone who cares about the safety of our children (parents, family, friends, neighbors, or others) can call for help.

For further information contact: The Juvenile Firesetter's Intervention Program(202) 727-1614

Text Telephone Numbers for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Text Telephone Numbers for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing

To accomodate the needs of the deaf and hard-of-hearing residents of DC, TTY machines are available at all of the district stations as well as some specialized units.
If you need to contact the police, fire department, or EMS for response to an emergency situation, please call 911 immediately. The emergency number, 911, is TTY compatible and operators will be available to assist you 24 hours a day.
If you have a non-emergency need that is not specific to one of the districts or specialized units listed below, please call 311, DC's non-emergency number. Like the emergency number, 311 is TTY compliant and operators will be able to provide you with the proper assistance.
The numbers listed below have been activated to give the deaf and hard-of-hearing residents in DC an easy way to contact their PSA team members and get involved in community policing in their neighborhood.

District Address TTY Number
First District 415 4th St, SW 202.863.4032
1D Substation 500 E St, SE 202.543.2352
Fifth District 1805 Bladensburg Rd, NE 202.727.5437
Sixth District 100 42nd St, SE 202.398.5397