D.C. Police Chief Declares Crime Emergency

[Andrewtx]

D.C. Police Chief Declares Crime Emergency

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...100720_pf.html

By Bill Brubaker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 11, 2006; 4:10 PM



District Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey today declared a crime emergency in the city in response to a sharp increase in crime this month.

Thirteen homicides have been recorded in the District since July 1. They include the murder early Sunday morning of 27-year-old Alan Senitt, a British political activist, on a street in Georgetown. Four suspects have been arrested in that murder.

Under a crime emergency, D.C. police commanders are given greater flexibility to adjust work schedules and assign more officers to high-crime areas.

D.C. police also plan to increase foot, bicycle and scooter patrols.

Ramsey declared a similar emergency last December after 24 people had been killed within a month and police had recorded a sharp increase in robberies. He also imposed the emergency designation in the summer of 2004 after a spate of juvenile auto thefts.

In addition to 13 homicides this month, D.C. police report an 18 percent increase in robberies and 14 percent rise in assaults with a deadly weapon over the past 30 days.

"We have seen a troubling increase in crime in recent weeks, even with the hard work and best efforts of our officers," Ramsey said in statement. "Our officers are already working very hard to combat crime, but we need to be even more flexible and more agile in how we respond to crime problems in our neighborhoods."

Ramsey said arrests by D.C. police have increased 13 percent this year.

He said his department will evaluate the crime emergency after 30 days.

[TXCharlie]

It seems to me that Dallas is also having a murder spike - LEO's have told me we're not, but the 10pm news has been flooded with stories of shootings and stabbings around here.

[Iron Man]

Same old shit in the district.

[Terminator]

It seems to me that Dallas is also having a murder spike - LEO's have told me we're not, but the 10pm news has been flooded with stories of shootings and stabbings around here.

I'd rely on what the LEO's tell you. Just because a story is being reported more in the news, doesn't mean it's happening more.

[Retdetsgt]

I'd rely on what the LEO's tell you. Just because a story is being reported more in the news, doesn't mean it's happening more.

Yeah, the media needs to sell soap. They can only do that by sensationalizing the mundane. I used to hate slow news days, that meant they would be looking at us to exaggerate something.

[eMachine]

Geez! and that's the capital of the world's foremost superpower .... how embarassing.

The only crime that should be occuring in DC is tax rape.

[TXCharlie]

I'd rely on what the LEO's tell you. Just because a story is being reported more in the news, doesn't mean it's happening more.

Yep, I agree with you & RDS... The Dallas murder rates are certainly too high, but they're about one-third what they were a couple of decades ago.