Hoya Staff Writer Friday, August 25, 2006

University officials, neighborhood groups and the Metropolitan Police Department are searching for new ways to ensure safety around campus after a spate of violent crimes struck the District this summer. Metropolitan Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey declared a citywide crime emergency on July 11 in response to a sharp rise in criminal activity, which included an 11 percent rise in both robberies and assaults with a deadly weapon from June to July. There were 12 homicides alone reported throughout the city during the first 11 days of July, including the murder of a 27-year-old British tourist on the 3100 block of Q Street on July 9. On Sunday, the Georgetown area was home to an armed robbery that left one man seriously injured. Three males entered Georgetown Fine Jewelry and Art on Wisconsin and robbed the store and two employees. During the course of the robbery, one man was shot and later taken to Georgetown University Hospital, where he was in critical but stable condition. MPD is still searching for the three suspects. Department of Public Safety director Darryl Harrison said that a rise in last year’s street assaults and robberies involving Georgetown students prompted the university to form a safety council in order discuss and implement new security measures. Several top administrators were among those asked to draft new security measures, including Todd Olson, vice president of student affairs, Linda Greenan, assistant vice president of external affairs, and Dave Morrell, vice president of student safety. The council outlined a new security program aimed at preventing crimes around campus, which called for an increased DPS patrol off campus and a stronger DPS partnership with the Metropolitan Police Department. “We were well ahead of things at that point,” Harrison said. “But the recent incident set us back.” Morrell said that the university is taking several new steps to tighten security this fall. Three new light posts have been installed on campus and around the neighborhood, one at Village A, one behind St. Mary’s Hall and another on the corner of 37th and Prospect Streets. Additionally, Morrell said that SafeRide shuttles have been expanded to serve as far as Wisconsin Avenue, and now run until 3 a.m. on Thursday nights, and that more DPS officers will be patrolling off campus. Morrell said that the university is working to further engage students on safety issues. “Beginning at NSO, students will see posters, key chains and other materials designed to provide information to help you keep safe,” he said. “The three main points are: lock your doors and windows, go with friends and take the van.” Harrison said that these measures will help promote safe behavior among students and improve security on and around campus. “I like to think that we’ve taken an approach that will address safety and security primarily off campus,” he said. According to the MPD, the emergency declaration has helped curb recent escalations in criminal activity. The latest MPD statistical data show a 27 percent reduction in violent crime last week when compared with 2005 reports. Mayor Anthony Williams echoed the need for an increase in city security measures by presenting the Enhanced Crime Prevention and Abatement Amendment Act of 2006 to city council on July 17. The act allocates city funding to MPD, authorizes closed circuit surveillance cameras for street use and establishes a 10 P.M. curfew for D.C. residents under the age of 17 through August 30. Sergeant Hubert Hendricks said the crime prevention act has been effective because it provides a greater police presence in the Georgetown neighborhood. Hendricks said that police patrol in Georgetown has expanded to more residential streets. “All sworn officers are now working six days a week,” he said. “We’re taking things a lot more seriously.” The increase in police patrol also comes with an increased price tag. The act calls for $7 million to be spent on overtime, in order to place 300 addition police units on city streets for six weeks. The bill also allocates $2.3 million for the installation of security cameras throughout the city. Hendricks said that the declared emergency is only a temporary solution, and neighborhood businesses, residents and students must all be prepared to help with the situation. “Crime is certainly going to go down a little, but you can’t stop everything,” he said. “Citizens expect their rights, and we still have to be professional,” he added. “We can’t read people’s minds.” Ron Lewis, a vice president of the Citizens Association of Georgetown and chair of the association’s Committee of Public Safety, said CAG has been working diligently to ensure neighborhood safety. Lewis outlined several steps that the association has taken, including reviewing its private guard program, which was created to hire private security personnel to patrol the neighborhood. “We consider safety the highest priority on our agenda,” he said. Lewis said that while CAG would like to expand hours and routes for security guards, funding has created obstacles. Under the current program, all residents receive the service, whether they do or do not contribute to the program. CAG has also recently suggested reestablishing a police substation in the neighborhood to increase police presence in the area, as well as recommend locations for new local security cameras. “This is one of the safer areas in the District,” Lewis said. “But could it be safer still? Yes.” Morrell, Harrison, Hendricks and Lewis all said that awareness and education are the best methods of crime prevention, and that many crimes in the area occur because people do not take the proper methods to prevent criminal activity. “Things like drinking responsibly, locking your doors. They sound redundant and sound simple,” Harrison said. “But they still are extremely important for student safety.”