Public Safety Update
Here’s what I’ve been doing in recent weeks to address public safety concerns.
Public safety remains top of mind for many of you and for me, too, as incidents of crime, including violent crime, have increased significantly over this time last year in the ward and across the District. We all deserve to live in a community where we feel safe. All Ward 1 families need to be able to enjoy our public spaces and community amenities without fear. I am raising a family here and like many of you, my family’s safety means everything to me.
Here’s what I’ve been doing in recent weeks to address public safety concerns:
- I hosted a town hall with Police Chief Pamela Smith two weeks ago where residents were able to ask questions about her vision and strategies for reducing crime in our Ward 1 neighborhoods. More than 100 people attended and over 350 viewed it online. The Chief spoke about how she is allocating police resources – officers, mobile cameras, and other resources – throughout the District, how she’s working to get officers out of their cars and speaking with residents and business owners, and other methods of policing, how her department handles drug arrests, and how MPD works with other agencies. You can watch a recording of the event.
- Earlier this month, I introduced the Reliable and Effective 911Dispatch Amendment Act of 2023, which would ensure faster and more accurate 911 dispatch by transferring fire and emergency medical calls to dedicated triage lines staffed by the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services. When a person calls 911 – whether that’s for a medical emergency, fire or crime -- they need to know that their call will be answered, that the dispatcher understands what’s going on, and that they will receive help quickly. Councilmembers Trayon White, Sr., Janeese Lewis George, Zachary Parker, Robert White, and Kenyan McDuffie have signed onto my legislation. You can also read the press release and coverage in the DCist, DC News Now, Dave Statter (Twitter), Fox 5, and WTOP.
- I’ve also introduced a bill that would help police solve more homicide cases by increasing rewards for witnesses who provide information leading to homicide arrests. It would set a $50,000 minimum reward and would offer protection, relocation, and other supportive services. The current practice is to give a maximum reward of up to $25,000, usually much less.
The D.C. homicide closure rate for 2023 stands at only 45 percent, compared to a national average of 50 to 60 percent. Closing cases is critical to breaking the cycle of violence and provides closure to families and communities. Councilmembers Charles Allen, Matt Frumin, Anita Bonds, Robert White and Vince Gray co-introduced the legislation with me, and Councilmember Henderson co-sponsored the bill.
- The Council unanimously passed legislation last week that would address severe understaffing at the 911 emergency dispatch center by removing a pension penalty that discourages retired fire and EMS workers from taking positions there. I joined Councilmember Christina Henderson in co-introducing the bill. The 911 call center that residents of the District – and our first responders – rely on, is dangerously understaffed. The office reported that in October, 45% of shifts – nearly half – did not meet the staffing target. Retired first responders are exactly the experts and committed public servants we need to supplement overworked 911 call takers and dispatchers. Read more.
- The Council is taking up Councilmember Brooke Pinto’s ACTIVE Act and held a hearing on the Mayor’s ACT Now Act. And the Council will take up the permanent version of Councilmember Pinto’s Prioritizing Public Safety Act, which we passed in July, giving judges additional tools to keep some of the most violent offenders off our streets and expanding the Council’s popular camera rebate program. It also includes an amendment I co-introduced with Councilmember Allen which will require more community-focused policing, and provide additional tools to deter crime, get guns off our streets, close cases and prosecute crimes effectively.
- My team and I were already developing retail theft legislation and I appreciated seeing that the Mayor’s bill also goes after organizers of retail theft. The provisions of my bill complement hers, adding tools that would augment those in the ACT Now legislation. I plan to introduce my legislation in January.
- This week, I attended the public hearing for Councilmember Robert White’s Whole of Government Approach to Public Safety bill, co-introduced by nine Councilmembers, including me. It would unite the city’s multi-agency response to public safety. I like that it takes a comprehensive approach that would unify the city’s multi-agency response and makes the tools we already have work better and work in tandem. Read my remarks.
An important takeaway here is that there are many legislative efforts in the works to address crime in a variety of ways. No one piece of legislation is going to magically solve the increase in crime or get us out of this situation. And even passing all these measures won’t work if we don’t also fix the tools that are already in place and not working, like the failing 911 dispatch center, the unaccredited crime lab, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s low prosecution rate.
My colleagues and I, working with the Mayor, executive branch agencies, the police chief, the U.S. Attorney, the D.C. Attorney General and countless partners in the community, are collaborating to make sure those tools are operating at their maximum potential. No amount of legislation will work if the 911 call center can’t get officers to a scene, the crime lab can’t process evidence, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office doesn’t prosecute. We need to look at all of it. And that is what we are doing.
All of this cannot take the place of the work we’ve been doing for years now and must continue to do investing in prevention. Clearly it is better to prevent crime from happening than to respond to it afterward. Crimes, including violent crimes, happen for a wide variety of reasons and we need to work on all fronts. This is why I’ve made big investments in mental health and substance use disorder services in Ward 1 - these have a direct impact on crime AND officers, who will tell you they need the support from other social services professionals in addressing these situations.
As always, I welcome your feedback and ideas. Contact me via the contact form or email me directly: bnadeau@dccouncil.gov.