Recent posts in the Crime category.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Gun violence continues in Petworth, weekend sees two fatalities
It was a bloody weekend in the District, with multiple shootings in Northwest. Sadly, the violence in Petworth continues, with two more gun-related deaths.
The incident getting the most press at this point is an officer-involved shooting that took place Saturday morning. According to MPD, at around 10:20 AM units responded to the 700 block of Randolph Street, for reports of an attempted vehicle break-in. When police arrived, the suspects fled. Officers pursued, and confronted one suspect in the 4100 block of 8th Street. As the suspect was being placed in custody, a scuffle ensued and the man reportedly drew a weapon. An MPD officer opened fire, striking the suspect. The man dropped his weapon and continued to flee, until he collapsed from his injuries in the 800 block of Upshur Street. He was pronounced dead at the scene. This marks the 15th officer-involved shooting this year. The 33-year-old MPD officer has been placed on routine administrative paid leave. The officer's name has not been released, but he is a 10-year veteran of the force. In total, three suspects were arrested and MPD recovered two handguns.
On Friday night at 10:35 PM, MPD responded to reports of gunfire in the 1200 block of Crittenden Street, NW. Units arriving on the scene found 44-year-old Nathanial C. Robinson suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, including a gunshot wound to the head. He died from his injuries. No information about a suspect or motive has been released.
Outside of Petworth, shootings were also reported in Columbia Heights and Bloomingdale. At around 6 PM on Saturday, Police responded to a shooting in the 1300 block of Euclid Street, NW. An adult female was found suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg. No suspect or motive has been identified.
Early Saturday morning, sounds of gunfire were reported in Bloomingdale, near 2nd Street and Elm Street, NW. Police identified a crime scene in the 2200 block of 2nd Street (near 2nd and W), where two adult males suffering from gunshot wounds were transported to area hospitals.
There is seemingly an uptick in gun violence in the District, however, it's unclear at this point why or if this is a continuing trend. The past week of gun incidents in Petworth is outside the normal for that neighborhood. Petworth certainly has its share of crime, but multiple shootings within this short a time period is not the status quo.
Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser will be hosting a special meeting on crime this Wednesday, October 28 at 7 PM. MPD Chief Cathy Lanier and the Fourth District command will be in attendance to discuss the recent violence. The meeting will be held at MPD's 4D Regional Operation Command location at 801 Shepherd Street, NW.
Photo of the Crittenden Street crime scene by Tom Yeatman
The incident getting the most press at this point is an officer-involved shooting that took place Saturday morning. According to MPD, at around 10:20 AM units responded to the 700 block of Randolph Street, for reports of an attempted vehicle break-in. When police arrived, the suspects fled. Officers pursued, and confronted one suspect in the 4100 block of 8th Street. As the suspect was being placed in custody, a scuffle ensued and the man reportedly drew a weapon. An MPD officer opened fire, striking the suspect. The man dropped his weapon and continued to flee, until he collapsed from his injuries in the 800 block of Upshur Street. He was pronounced dead at the scene. This marks the 15th officer-involved shooting this year. The 33-year-old MPD officer has been placed on routine administrative paid leave. The officer's name has not been released, but he is a 10-year veteran of the force. In total, three suspects were arrested and MPD recovered two handguns.
On Friday night at 10:35 PM, MPD responded to reports of gunfire in the 1200 block of Crittenden Street, NW. Units arriving on the scene found 44-year-old Nathanial C. Robinson suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, including a gunshot wound to the head. He died from his injuries. No information about a suspect or motive has been released.
Outside of Petworth, shootings were also reported in Columbia Heights and Bloomingdale. At around 6 PM on Saturday, Police responded to a shooting in the 1300 block of Euclid Street, NW. An adult female was found suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg. No suspect or motive has been identified.
Early Saturday morning, sounds of gunfire were reported in Bloomingdale, near 2nd Street and Elm Street, NW. Police identified a crime scene in the 2200 block of 2nd Street (near 2nd and W), where two adult males suffering from gunshot wounds were transported to area hospitals.
There is seemingly an uptick in gun violence in the District, however, it's unclear at this point why or if this is a continuing trend. The past week of gun incidents in Petworth is outside the normal for that neighborhood. Petworth certainly has its share of crime, but multiple shootings within this short a time period is not the status quo.
Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser will be hosting a special meeting on crime this Wednesday, October 28 at 7 PM. MPD Chief Cathy Lanier and the Fourth District command will be in attendance to discuss the recent violence. The meeting will be held at MPD's 4D Regional Operation Command location at 801 Shepherd Street, NW.
Photo of the Crittenden Street crime scene by Tom Yeatman
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Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Shootings continue in Shaw, but is it a war?
Last night there was a shooting at the intersection of 7th and N St, NW. This is just steps away from the Mt. Vernon Square Metro station. A DC Alert message reported the incident as occurring at 7:11 PM, and a lookout was issued for a black pickup truck. According to MPD, a female victim was taken to an area hospital in stable condition.
The shooting comes on the heels of Councilmember Jim Graham's (D-Ward 1) declaration that a gang war is underway in Shaw.
Last week Graham sent out a letter to constituents as well as Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier. The letter mostly touts Graham's accomplishments with anti-crime measures, but also calls on better coordination of anti-gang operations within MPD.
Graham's letter discusses the problem of crime that crosses police service areas and districts. The trend of shootings in Shaw have mostly been limited to the area around 5th to 7th Streets, and M to P Street. The bulk of these shootings are squarely within MPD's police service area 308.
A few months ago, the blog The Other 35 Percent, posted a map of shootings and reports of shots fired. The map included data from July to August, gathered from reports on the Third District Listserve. Also included were reports of shots fired from MPD's Shotspotter listening devices. The commentary that accompanied the map discussed many of the problems facing residents in Shaw. This includes vacant and untended property, a lack of vibrant retail, and neglected infrastructure.
From June 1 until now, there has been one homicide in PSA 308. This is a decline of 67% over the same period last year. However, there have been 8 gun assaults. This is an increase of 167% over the the same time in 2008. To be fair, a 167% increase means a jump from 3 to 8.
Is this a problem? Yes, of course it is. Could there be trouble between gangs brewing? It's a possibility. However, considering the vast majority of these crimes occurred within Ward 2, it may not be prudent to take Councilmember Graham's word on it. Graham concludes his letter to Lanier and others with making a push for the previously defeated anti-gang measures. The Council rejected the 'civil penalty' provisions in a 9-4 vote back in June.
The defeated measure would have made it easier for law enforcement to detain suspected gang members, and would have allowed prosecutors to seek injunctions against perceived 'gang activity.' Law enforcement officials, including Lanier, favored the measures. Civil liberties groups, including the ACLU, came out against the proposal. Many DC Councilmembers expressed concerns that the measures would lead to racial profiling.
Those in favor, including Graham, Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) and Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4) said residents in Northwest have been living in fear. Bowser even said that some constituents were afraid to leave their homes. The fear was, of course, that during the summer gang violence would only increase. Said Evans, "if we do nothing, then we are
responsible for what happens."
Overall, since June, violent crime in the District has been down 7% over 2008. Homicides are down 29% Gun assaults are down 7%. Cathy Lanier has touted the drop in violent crime and attributed it to new techniques implemented by the department.
Yes, there has been a recent increase in gun assaults in Shaw. However, it's not immediately clear that it is a gang war, or that it has anything to do with police district boundary problems. It is typical Jim Graham politics to use anything that might look like a "crime wave" to tout his own agenda. Graham talks about the Blueprint for Action, which is a glorified to-do list aimed at making yet another to-do list. Is the civil-penalty gang legislation worth investigating further? Likely not. It was defeated by a large margin in June, and it is still just a band-aid for larger problems. Attempting to prevent gang members from congregating at a corner store by threatening contempt of court charges is at best a backwards way of stopping crime. At worst it will breed racial profiling and make a mockery of the entire concept of contempt of court.
Instead, there needs to be a concerted effort at the community level to discourage gang activity. This has been said time and again, of course, and programs have been attempted to get at the heart of the problem. Organizations such as the Peaceoholics are great in theory, but like many other government funded non-profits, it has faced charges of waste and gone through scandal. It is imperative that these efforts be sustained, however. There are laws on the books regarding gun assaults, homicide, and drug dealing. The root of the problem has nothing to do with a lack of laws or a lack of law enforcement. It has to do with 'bigger picture' problems. It has to do with the problems that don't make a sexy backdrop for a press conference. It's time to start working on the hard problems. After all, Councilmembers are paid handsomely and have budgets to employ support staff.
Photo from Flickr user rjs1322, used under a Creative Commons license.
by Dave Stroup, filed under Crime, Shaw
at 7:00AM
The shooting comes on the heels of Councilmember Jim Graham's (D-Ward 1) declaration that a gang war is underway in Shaw.
Last week Graham sent out a letter to constituents as well as Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier. The letter mostly touts Graham's accomplishments with anti-crime measures, but also calls on better coordination of anti-gang operations within MPD.
Graham's letter discusses the problem of crime that crosses police service areas and districts. The trend of shootings in Shaw have mostly been limited to the area around 5th to 7th Streets, and M to P Street. The bulk of these shootings are squarely within MPD's police service area 308.
A few months ago, the blog The Other 35 Percent, posted a map of shootings and reports of shots fired. The map included data from July to August, gathered from reports on the Third District Listserve. Also included were reports of shots fired from MPD's Shotspotter listening devices. The commentary that accompanied the map discussed many of the problems facing residents in Shaw. This includes vacant and untended property, a lack of vibrant retail, and neglected infrastructure.
From June 1 until now, there has been one homicide in PSA 308. This is a decline of 67% over the same period last year. However, there have been 8 gun assaults. This is an increase of 167% over the the same time in 2008. To be fair, a 167% increase means a jump from 3 to 8.
Is this a problem? Yes, of course it is. Could there be trouble between gangs brewing? It's a possibility. However, considering the vast majority of these crimes occurred within Ward 2, it may not be prudent to take Councilmember Graham's word on it. Graham concludes his letter to Lanier and others with making a push for the previously defeated anti-gang measures. The Council rejected the 'civil penalty' provisions in a 9-4 vote back in June.
The defeated measure would have made it easier for law enforcement to detain suspected gang members, and would have allowed prosecutors to seek injunctions against perceived 'gang activity.' Law enforcement officials, including Lanier, favored the measures. Civil liberties groups, including the ACLU, came out against the proposal. Many DC Councilmembers expressed concerns that the measures would lead to racial profiling.
Those in favor, including Graham, Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) and Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4) said residents in Northwest have been living in fear. Bowser even said that some constituents were afraid to leave their homes. The fear was, of course, that during the summer gang violence would only increase. Said Evans, "if we do nothing, then we are
responsible for what happens."Overall, since June, violent crime in the District has been down 7% over 2008. Homicides are down 29% Gun assaults are down 7%. Cathy Lanier has touted the drop in violent crime and attributed it to new techniques implemented by the department.
Yes, there has been a recent increase in gun assaults in Shaw. However, it's not immediately clear that it is a gang war, or that it has anything to do with police district boundary problems. It is typical Jim Graham politics to use anything that might look like a "crime wave" to tout his own agenda. Graham talks about the Blueprint for Action, which is a glorified to-do list aimed at making yet another to-do list. Is the civil-penalty gang legislation worth investigating further? Likely not. It was defeated by a large margin in June, and it is still just a band-aid for larger problems. Attempting to prevent gang members from congregating at a corner store by threatening contempt of court charges is at best a backwards way of stopping crime. At worst it will breed racial profiling and make a mockery of the entire concept of contempt of court.
Instead, there needs to be a concerted effort at the community level to discourage gang activity. This has been said time and again, of course, and programs have been attempted to get at the heart of the problem. Organizations such as the Peaceoholics are great in theory, but like many other government funded non-profits, it has faced charges of waste and gone through scandal. It is imperative that these efforts be sustained, however. There are laws on the books regarding gun assaults, homicide, and drug dealing. The root of the problem has nothing to do with a lack of laws or a lack of law enforcement. It has to do with 'bigger picture' problems. It has to do with the problems that don't make a sexy backdrop for a press conference. It's time to start working on the hard problems. After all, Councilmembers are paid handsomely and have budgets to employ support staff.
Photo from Flickr user rjs1322, used under a Creative Commons license.
1
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
A robbery, the blog echo chamber, and police indifference
Back in August, the owners of the soon to be open Capital City Diner were robbed (with threat of a gun) near the intersection of Bladensburg Road and K Street, Northeast. The victims wrote about the incident on the Diner's blog. In their entry, they talk about the robbery itself, but most notably the police response. The August 24 blog post describes a Metropolitan Police Department detective attempting to talk the victims out of filing a police report:Unfortunately, the detective tried repeatedly to convice Matt out of making a report. He stated that a robbery hadn't occurred since Matt "gave up the money" willingly and the suspect didn't actually reach into Matt's pockets to steal the money (Matt handed him the robber money when asked for it). Matt recounted that DC code doesn't require that a robbery physically touch someone, and that someone using fear (even without a weapon displayed) to take something is considered robbery. Furthermore, the detective reminded Matt that he sticks out because Matt's a white guy in Trinidad and asked repeatedly if he really really wanted to be remembered by the criminal's associates if/when he's prosecuted.This story spread like wildfire throughout the DC blogosphere. Prince of Petworth and DCist picked it up. People were outraged, and shared their own stories of police ineptitude and laziness. Some went as far as saying this was a concerted effort on the part of MPD to make crime statistics look rosier.
My first reaction was one of skepticism. Some of the details of the incident did not seem to add up, and I found it hard to believe that MPD would show such indifference to a crime being reported. I was also a bit bothered by how fast the news was being spread around, without any sort of corroboration or verification. My take was rooted in pessimism, that two guys walking home in a 'rough neighborhood' shouldn't be surprised if this happened. I was wrong.
In truth, there was a story here. It wasn't about the mugging. In the end, it doesn't so much matter if someone was 'asking for it' or not, and in this case they certainly were not. They are two men familiar with the neighborhood who know how to be street smart. What matters is that a crime was committed. The officer in question failed the public and failed their fellow officers by discouraging the filing of a police report.
No one will question that crime is a serious problem facing DC. While violent crime has been down in 2009, property crime has been up and teenagers are still dying in the streets. MPD has been plagued by internal disputes between management and officers, and Chief Lanier is in the hot seat about the All Hands on Deck measures.
If we are ever to see any meaningful reduction in crime, we have to start with an accurate baseline. Crimes need to be reported, and crimes need to be investigated. Even if this results in a less than stellar closure rate on robberies. In some cases it is unlikely that the suspects will be apprehended. However, that's not a good enough reason to try to intimidate a victim into not reporting a crime.
At first I was hesitant to place all of the blame on MPD in this instance. I didn't want to jump to that conclusion before any sort of investigation had been done, or reports filed. Following the incident, the Capital City Diner's blog was updated to note that MPD had begun an investigation into the conduct of the detective in question.
As is the case with the blogs, and the news media in general, this was a story that dropped off people's radar. Many have likely forgotten about the incident.
After my initial post I noted that I would follow up on this, if I was able to receive further information. Matt Ashburn from the Capital City Diner reached out to me to reiterate that he was not interested in blaming MPD as a whole, but more that he was concerned about the conduct in this specific instance.
I've since learned that MPD has concluded their investigation regarding the officer in question's conduct. The citizen complaint was regarded as 'sustained' by MPD, which means the complaint had merit and the officer has been dealt with as per department policies.
Matt wrote in to express his appreciation to the officers of the Fifth District for taking this complaint seriously, and expressed optimism about the future. Matt did the right thing by standing up for his rights as a citizen and a victim.
In order for the police department to receive the funding they deserve, and the management they need, they must be honest with their reporting. We, as citizens, absolutely must feel like we can turn to MPD when we have been victims of crime. There's no hope for a better future if that is not the case.
by Dave Stroup, filed under Crime, Trinidad at 7:00AM
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District Daily is a Washington, D.C. news site. It is published by Dave Stroup, a writer who lives and works in the District of Columbia. His work can also be found at Greater Greater Washington, Brightest Young Things and Why I Hate DC.