Today Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier today kicked off phase six of All Hands on Deck (AHOD), which coincides with the annual National Night Out Campaign, in which the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) will rally community members throughout the District to join with neighbors and police officers in their PSAs to be a part of this year’s event. In addition, Fenty and Lanier announced a $12 million stimulus grant recently awarded to MPD to expand community policing.
All Hands on Deck
AHOD began at 6 a.m. today and concludes at 6 am on Wednesday, August 5th. During AHOD Phase Six, residents will see an increased police presence in their neighborhoods and will be provided with educational literature explaining how to keep themselves and their communities safe. During AHOD Phase Six, every available sworn member will be on patrol.
During AHOD Phase I (April 24-26), Phase II (June 5-7), Phase III (June 26-28), Phase IV (July 10-12), and Phase V (July 24-26), MPD made a total of (2,391) arrests and seized more than $30,000 in drugs.
National Night Out
National Night Out (NNO) is an annual event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch, which takes places tomorrow. Like previous years, MPD will encourage District residents to join with their neighbors, police officers and other community leaders in celebrating National Night Out. The citywide kickoff will begin tomorrow at 5 pm at the THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Avenue, SE, with food, music, sports, games, crime prevention displays and other activities for participants of all ages.
In addition to the numerous activities taking place at the kickoff event, neighborhoods in all seven police districts have scheduled NNO events during the late afternoon and evening hours:
• First District, PSA 103: 6 pm Rosedale Recreation Center, 1701 Gales St., NE Outreach to neighborhood children and job outreach opportunities with Job Corps. Workshops on theft from auto prevention and victim services will be held. Meet and greet opportunities with beat officers will also take place.
• Second District, PSA 203: 6 pm - 8 pm 4800 Block Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Meet and Greet with officers and donated items will be collected for the Back to School Supply Drive.
• Third District, PSA 304/305: 4 pm - 6 pm 1400 W Street, NW. MPD members will host a community cookout with games and entertainment for children.
• Fourth District, PSA 403: 6 pm – 8 pm Emery Recreation Center, 5801 Georgia Avenue, NW. Meet and greet with officers where Police/Community Email List Group Information will be distributed. The WAVE Unit will promote the Watch Your Car Program. Domestic Violence Prevention activities will take place. Information about Anonymous Tip Line & reward posters will be shared. A fact sheet about the Youth Advisory Council will be distributed.
• Fifth District, PSA 505, 5:30 pm Langdon Park Community Center, 2901 20th Street, NE. Meet and greet with neighbors and law enforcement partners. Refreshments and crime prevention safety information will be distributed.
• Sixth District, PSA 604, 6:45 pm-8:45 pm Benning Terrace Circle, 600 46th Place, SE. A bicycle registration and helmet give away to youth will encourage safe operation of bicycles in the summer months. There will also be ice cream and crime prevention tips for residents.
“We planned this AHOD during National Night Out because it is a natural tie in,” said Chief Lanier. “Community policing is a partnership that is paying off for all of us. Violent crime is down. We are closing cases with the leads we are getting from people in our communities, and we are still engaging residents in very positive ways.”
COPS Stimulus Grant
More officers will be added to the ranks at MPD to focus on community policing thanks to a U.S. Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant of $12 million through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. The COPS Office received nearly 7,300 applications requesting more than 39,000 officers and $8.3 billion in funds, while only $1 billion is available for the program. With such an extremely high demand, the COPS Office could fund only 14 percent of the total number of grant requests received in FY 2009, including the District. Currently, MPD has a sworn membership of 4,058, and the COPS grant will help MPD to reach its goal of 4,100 officers.
“This grant will allow MPD to hire another 50 officers to help keep our city safe,” said Mayor Fenty. “I commend the Department of Justice for their efforts to aid our city and to make community policing a top priority.”
The MPD is reminding residents that it offers a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for any unsolved homicide committed in the District of Columbia.
The MPD offers a reward of up to $10,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for any armed robbery or a robbery that results in serious bodily injury.
Anyone who has information about a crime may call police at (202) 727-9099 or 1-888-919-CRIM[E] (1-888-919-2746). Additionally, anonymous information may be submitted to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411.
The MPD is also working with Crime Solvers. Through the DC Crime Solver’s program, individuals who provide information that leads to an arrest and indictment in a robbery or other serious crime may receive a reward of up to $1,000 by calling 1-866-411-TIPS.