Two off-duty Metropolitan Police Department officers began patrolling local streets on weekend nights earlier this month following an agreement reached by the university and a local citizens group.
The univeristy and the Citizens Association of Georgetown agreed to pay MPD for two officers to work overtime on Friday and Saturday nights to help deter crime in the area.
Vice President for University Safety David Morrell said that the added officers, known as a reimbursement detail, will patrol the region of West Georgetown stretching from the main campus to Wisconsin Avenue and the region east of Wisconsin stretching to Rock Creek Park from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.
The patrols, which began Jan. 5, will continue for another 13 weeks, at which point the university and CAG will gauge the program’s success and determine whether or not to extend it into the summer.
A spate of crimes over the summer, which included the murder of a British citizen walking at night on Q Street, was the impetus for the program, but patrols did not begin until this month because CAG and the university were in negotiations, said Luca Pivato, co-chair of CAG’s Public Safety Committee.
“Along with the high-visibility murder on Q Street, we received reports from residents who did not feel safe and were worried at the rising number of incidents,” Pivato said. “Obviously Georgetown is still a lot safer than other areas, but we nonetheless need to take care of this area.”
Although the officers patrolling the Georgetown area are off-duty, they have the right to arrest and are armed.
“The goal is to increase uniformed presence,” orrell said. “One more marked carrier can make a world of difference.”
The security trial will cost about $20,000. The university and CAG will share the cost equally.
Pivato said that the program in Georgetown is modeled after one implemented in Adams Morgan. He added that when a crime occurs in the neighborhood, the nearest patrol car may be more than a few blocks away, and that new patrols will increase MPD response times.
Morrell said that each officer will be equipped with a GPS phone that will enable him or her to stay in immediate contact with Georgetown’s Department of Public Safety.
The nascent program has received mixed reactions from students living off campus.
Dan Hill (SFS ’09), who lives in LXR Hall, said that although there may be more police patrols at night, he is still cautious about walking on the streets.
“It takes two seconds for a criminal to jump out of a car, take your wallet and leave,” Hill said. “Just because there’s another police officer around doesn’t mean I’m going to leave at a later time or dilly-dally on the way back to my dorm.”
Brandon Shamel (COL ’09), a student who lives in Alumni Square, said he is optimistic about the reimbursement detail’s potential to prevent crime.
“I definitely think it’s a step in the right direction in stopping intrusions or at least lowering them,” Shamel said. “If it’s going to have a positive affect on the students at Georgetown, I say go for it.”
MPD Second District Commander Andy Solberg could not be reached for comment.
