The Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E convened its final monthly public meeting for the current term Tuesday evening, addressing the success of public safety policies in the Georgetown community and concerns about a decreasing police presence in the area.
Although overall crime is down in Patrol Service Areas 205 and 206, which comprise the Georgetown, Burleith and Foxhall communities, the commission expressed concern regarding the transfer of officers from the Georgetown area to other stations in Washington, D.C., including Foggy Bottom and Downtown.
“The number of officers in our community have been dwindling quite a bit, and it turns out that our officers[have] been brought downtown for a number of specific events, including theft and grand theft auto in the Foggy Bottom and downtown areas,” ANC Commissioner Justin Wagner (COL ’03) said. “And while I realize that they are probably important concerns, what I want to know is why are the issues of these areas more important than the [issues] in our neighborhood?” Wagner serves on THE HOYA’ s editorial board.
Wagner noted that by removing staff from Georgetown, the etropolitan Police Department was undermining the current community-policing model in place under the PSA system.
“The PSA model, established by [MPD] Chief [Charles] Ramsey, allows individual communities to target certain problems within their community by working more closely with the police, and having officers that are always within that community who know to address those issues,” Wagner said. “By draining away staffing, [the MPD] undermines the community policing model.”
The commission has worked closely with the MPD to target local crime, according to Wagner. “We must make sure that one of the key goals of the commission is to make sure that the relationship based in the community continues … to perpetuate this community-based form of policing,” he said.
The ANC also addressed year-end crime statistics as they pertained to the goals established at the beginning of the year by the commission. The commission worked with MPD to reduce burglaries and robberies, to improve communications between the two organizations, to reduce the noise and improve the quality of life in the neighborhood and improve street lighting in Georgetown and Burleith.
“At a time when parts of the city are seeing a rise in crime, all officers here in Foxhall, Burleith and Georgetown have reduced crime significantly,” Wagner said. “In PSA 205 we’ve experienced a 20 percent reduction in crime over the past year, and in PSA 206 we’ve experienced a 9.76 percent reduction in overall crime, which is very impressive.”
In addition, burglaries decreased by 14 percent and robberies declined by 10 percent in both precincts, with reported burglaries and robberies falling from 162 in 2001 to 130 this year.
Wagner said he thought that the ANC had also succeeded in improving communication and coordination between the community, the ANC and MPD. “I think the whole community took a better part in this by using the PSA website. Officers are always at ANC meetings, and e-mails [have been used to send] alerts from the citizens associations,” he said.
The ANC, working with MPD, implemented a foot beat on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to decrease noise complaints in the surrounding neighborhood. “On the issue of noise and quality of life – we achieved real success in this area,” Wagner said. “Now we have officers with cell phones paid for by the university who are out there late at night not only to deter crime but also to reduce noise complaints. Last year we reduced unruly behavior by 15 percent.”
The commission also located specific blocks that had poor street lighting, working with MPD to improve lighting in order to deter crime.
“We were finding that there were some blocks where lighting was so poor that criminals would always go to that block,” Wagner said.
The ANC meeting was the last one for the current commission, with the term ending on Jan. 2, 2003. Mike Glick (COL ’05) will be the sole student commissioner on the incoming commission, as the two current student commissioners, Wagner and Justin Kopa (COL ’03) end their terms.
Wagner reflected on his term as a commissioner, especially in facilitating public safety in the immediate university neighborhood.
“My term has primarily been focused around improving public safety in the neighborhood and strengthening the relationship between students and longtime residents,” he said. “Last year the university, the community, this commission and MPD worked together to address specific issues in public safety. And in my estimation, we have achieved great success.”
Glick said that despite being the only student on the commission, he looks forward to working with students and residents.
“Having one student certainly creates a greater challenge but … it doesn’t always have to be a student v. resident issue – it can be a Georgetown issue,” Glick said. “I am excited to work with the other commissioners, with community members and with university officials to find common ground on issues that will benefit students.”
