Mayor Williams said the joint training program will enable residents, police officers and other city agencies to be more effective in addressing the problem of open-air drug markets:

"Open-air drug markets breed crime and fear, and erode the quality of life in too many of our communities. That is why I have made abatement of these drug markets one of my top public safety priorities. Through this training, all of our partners in community policing will learn how to design and implement strategies that do more than apply a temporary band-aid, but offer meaningful and lasting relief to communities in need. By learning to work together, we can overcome not only the difficult problems associated with open-air drug markets, but just about any public safety problem in any community."

Chief Ramsey said the MPDC's community training program, called Partnerships for Problem Solving represents an important step in the development of community policing in the District of Columbia:

"For community policing to succeed, both community members and police officers must be adequately informed and trained. This unique training program provides all partners in community policing with a process, as well as some very practical tips and techniques they can use to identify and solve crime problems in their neighborhoods. This summer, we will be pilot-testing the problem-solving curriculum in the six open-air drug market communities we have identified. What we learn from these communities will be invaluable as we expand the training program later this year to other communities that are tackling a range of crime and disorder problems."

Earlier this year, the MPDC identified open-air drug markets in six police districts that are being targeted under the Mayor's short-term action plan. The training will bring together community members from these six neighborhoods, along with police officers and officials assigned to the affected police service areas (PSAs) and representatives of other city agencies. Participants will be presented with a five-step problem-solving process that is a critical component of the District's community policing strategy. In small groups, the community policing teams will begin to apply the problem-solving process to the open-air drug problem in their particular neighborhoods.

Saturday's training is the first of three sessions that will be held this summer focusing on open-air drug markets. At the conclusion of the training in July, it is anticipated that each targeted neighborhood will have a comprehensive plan for abating the problem in their community, and will have begun implementing the agreed-upon strategies involving police, community and other city agencies.

There were no open-air drug markets identified in the Second Police District. However, police and community representatives from the Second District will also participate in the pilot training beginning Saturday. Their focus will be on traffic safety.

MPDC personnel will evaluate the success of the training program and make any necessary adjustments. In the fall, the Department expects to begin offering the problem-solving training to PSAs throughout the city.

Chief Ramsey, City Administrator Dong and Nola Joyce, MPDC director of organizational development, will kick off the training session with remarks beginning at 9 a.m. A general overview of the problem-solving will be presented later in the morning, followed by break-out sessions in the late morning and early afternoon.

For more information about Partnerships for Problem Solving, or to volunteer as a community trainer or outreach worker, contact: