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| | | Fenty, police promise more attention on Northeast crime | | October 21, 2009 | | | | Voice Correspondent | | Nearly a hundred people poured into the basement of Mt. Olive Baptist Baptist Church last Thursday to sound off to Mayor Adrian Fenty and 1st District Police Cmdr. David Kamperin about recent shootings and other crime in the neighborhood.
The shootings — one on the 800 block of 10th Street NE on Oct. 11 and another the next day on the 1000 block of 6th Street NE — have provoked anger in the community.
According to police, the first crime involved two unidentified males on mountain bikes who shot an unidentified victim with a semi-automatic gun.
The next shooting occurred in an alley at around 3:20 p.m. Kamperin said the victim saw several people in the alley who put on masks before they shot him in the leg. Neither shooting caused fatalities and no one has been arrested.
Kamperin said residents had reason to be upset even though crime on the Hill has actually been decreasing. But, he said, “I realize if you’re in the area where bullets are flying that’s not very heartwarming.”
Kamperin said more police have been assigned to 6th and 10th streets NE, in addition to covert operations that are underway.
Residents also complained about open-air drug markets in the area.
“When I’m walking down that block of Sixth [Street] between L and M it feels menacing,” said the association’s chair, Cheryl Grant.
Kamperin also said police would again consider placing a crime camera at 6th and L streets. Police rejected installing a camera there last year when residents and Ward 6 D.C. Council member Tommy Wells asked for one. But Kamperin said crime cameras are not panaceas.
“[Cameras] cannot replace boots on the street,” he said, in part, because cameras do not always capture what police need, and even though cameras run 24 hours a day, no one is assigned to watch the feed.
Residents also vehemently complained about they perceive as a lack of response to calls to police about suspicious activity.
“How many times do you have to call 311?” one resident asked.
According to police, zero is the number of times residents should call 311 to report suspicious activity. Instead, Fenty and Kamperin emphasized that 911, not 311, should be used whenever police are needed and will help police compile the data they need and will also result in quicker response times. When Fenty suggested residents should compile their own map of where they believe problems are consistently located, some scoffed.
Nine-year resident Gail Sullivan did not see a reason for residents to create a map.
“If someone looked at the data we give, you would know the houses that are having the problem,” she said. “We shouldn’t have to come here and have this meeting with you. … You should have a list of where the problems are.”
The data, residents said, would show that suspicious activity is concentrated in areas around public housing.
Fenty promised to return to the community on Nov. 3 with the head of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs and the Department of Housing and Community Development to discuss the problems.
“I know that having civilians who live in this community, who are our eyes and ears, who we could come back and have to report to and give answers to is going to drive even better performance,” he said.
“With this amount of community involvement we could probably show some really fast results.”
Police said residents should call 911 or Sgt. Denise Fuller at 202-299-2025 to report suspicious activity. To report activity anonymously, call 888-919-2746 or text information to 50411.
Residents can e-mail addresses of suspect properties to the neighborhood association at chnna08@gmail.com. | | | | | Log in to comment on this article |
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