Archive: Crime and Public Safety
City Officials Meet With CFSA Senior Staff
Acting Attorney General Peter J. Nickles and the City Adminstrator Dan Tangherlini met with senior staff of the Department of Children and Family Services today, including the new interim director Roque Gerald, Nickles said. They met to discuss caseloads and other issues raised by the court monitor as the city...
By Marcia Davis | July 18, 2008; 06:10 PM ET | Comments (1)
Gun Legislation Wins Unanimous Vote in D.C. Council
In a meeting that went well into the night, the D.C. Council unanimously voted for emergency legislation that ended the city's gun ban and put in place new regulations to restrict guns but is also meant to honor the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling against the strict ban that had been...
By Marcia Davis | July 16, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
Jury Duty Scofflaws Arrested: Poll and Comment
A District judge recently issued warrants calling for the arrests of 92 residents who failed to report for jury duty. Twelve people have been arrested or turned themselves in this month for contempt of court, and marshals are canvassing the area for more. Read the story here....
By Mike McPhate | July 14, 2008; 11:12 AM ET | Comments (5)
City Invests In Nonprofits To Reduce Gang Activity
D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) and Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) announced this morning that $200,000 in funding will be split among 25 nonprofits that are working with youths throughout the city to curb gang violence. The money was funneled from the District police to the Citywide Coordinating...
By Nikita R Stewart | July 8, 2008; 01:38 PM ET | Comments (21)
A New Gang Strategy?
Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and D.C. Councilmember Jim Graham are teaming up this morning to announce a new gang strategy. The two will be sharing their plan at the Reeves Center at 10:15 am....
By Marcia Davis | July 8, 2008; 08:24 AM ET | Comments (2)
Political Blogger Shot in Adams Morgan
Liberal political blogger Brian Beutler, 25, was shot and wounded early today during an attempted robbery in Adams Morgan, D.C. police and friends said. He is recovering at a local hospital from gushot wounds to his shoulder and spleen. Beutler, 25, is a Washington correspondent for the Media Consortium, a...
By Marcia Davis | July 2, 2008; 06:13 PM ET | Comments (14)
Mendelson to Introduce Bill to Repeal Gun Ban
Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) has decided to introduce legislation tomorrow that will address the Supreme Court ruling on the city's gun ban. The bill would repeal the prohibition on handguns. He made the announcement at the council's news briefing held in preparation for tomorrow's meeting. It would still...
By Marcia Davis | June 30, 2008; 10:59 AM ET | Comments (17)
Eager Beavers Look for Guns to Buy
Apparently, some District residents aren't waiting on the District Council and the Fenty administration to work out the specifics of how to modify the gun ban to comply to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling last week. Gun shops in Maryland and Virginia suburbs told The Washington Post's Allison Klein that...
By Marcia Davis | June 30, 2008; 07:14 AM ET | Comments (3)
Supreme Court Gun Ban Ruling Expected Tomorrow
The U.S. Supreme Court today did not release its long-awaited ruling on whether the District's handgun ban violates the Second Amendment. That means the potentially landmark decision will almost certainly come tomorrow morning when the court is planning to issue the last of its rulings for the term. The case,...
By Marcia Davis | June 25, 2008; 12:37 PM ET | Comments (1401)
D.C. Surveillance Camera Regulations Set
Mayor Fenty entered new regulations governing the use of his controversial surveillance camera network into the D.C. Register yesterday. After the mayor announced his intention to link 4,500 cameras into a single network, civil liberty groups protested and the D.C. Council passed legislation requiring the mayor to submit regulations for...
By David A Nakamura | June 21, 2008; 09:00 AM ET | Comments (1)
Group Sues Over Checkpoints
A civil rights group filed a federal lawsuit today to halt the D.C. police department's new checkpoint program, saying that the screening of motorists is unconstitutional....
By Marcia Davis | June 20, 2008; 03:38 PM ET | Comments (2)
Police Checkpoints Debated at Hearing
The police are off the barricades in the District's Trinidad neighborhood--for now. But the debate over whether checkpoints in the violence-plagued area are doing more harm than good rages on. At a D.C. Council public safety committee hearing this afternoon, foes and fans of the plan continue the debate over...
By Marcia Davis | June 16, 2008; 04:50 PM ET | Comments (8)
Checkpoint Ends, Thomas Calls for Meeting in Trinidad
Council member Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5) is hosting a meeting in the Trinidad community tonight to begin, he says, "the healing process" after a wave of violence in the Northeast neighborhood. That violence yielded a controversial police checkpoint program in which officers stopped motorists trying to access one street...
By Marcia Davis | June 13, 2008; 08:00 AM ET | Comments (5)
Police Union Chief: Checkpoints Not Effective
Kris Baumann, head of the D.C. Fraternal Order of Police, today criticized the D.C. police department's controversial checkpoints in Trinidad. Baumann said he was pleased that police officials reported no gunshots or murders in the violence-plagued neighborhood over the weekend, but he added that the heavy publicity surrounding the checkpoints...
By David A Nakamura | June 10, 2008; 06:29 PM ET | Comments (2)
Mendelson Seeks More Info on Safety Zones
Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) wants police Chief Cathy L. Lanier to provide him with the special order that gave her the authority to establish the controversial Neighborhood Safety Zones that will kickoff this weekend in Trinidad. Mendelson also wants the legal opinions from the office of Acting Attorney...
By Nikita R Stewart | June 6, 2008; 01:08 PM ET | Comments (9)
Lanier: "More Extreme Tactics" Necessary
Police Chief Cathy Lanier and Mayor Adrian M. Fenty today announced new measures to fight a rash of shootings in Ward 5, saying officers will be stationed in designated neighborhoods and stopping all vehicles attempting to enter. Anyone with no legitimate reason to enter, authorities said, will be turned...
By David A Nakamura | June 4, 2008; 01:15 PM ET | Comments (7)
New Anti-Crime Efforts
Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Police Chief Cathy Lanier plan to announce new crime initiatives this morning, as officials continue to try to battle a mounting body count in the District. In February, Lanier told the District Council that violent crime was down and the city was on the right...
By Marcia Davis | June 4, 2008; 07:26 AM ET | Comments (1)
Lanier Wants to Fire Reinstated Officers
D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said this morning she is now trying to get rid of the more than 20 officers she has rehired after they were terminated for misconduct....
By Marcia Davis | May 23, 2008; 03:30 AM ET | Comments (1)
Another Guilty Plea in D.C. Tax Scam
Another conspirator in the District tax scandal pleaded guilty yesterday to fraud, prosecutors said. Marilyn Yoon, 40, of Derwood, Md., pleaded guilty in federal court in Greenbelt to possession of property obtained by fraud. She faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Yoon met Harriette Walters,...
By Marcia Davis | May 20, 2008; 08:14 AM ET | Email a Comment
No Confrontation at Police Memorial Service
Fenty speaks with D.C. policers officers this morning. (By David Nakamura--TWP) Mayor Fenty showed up as promised today at the Fraternal Order of Police's annual memorial service for fallen officers, despite the group having rescinded its invitation to him yesterday. The stage had been set for a showdown after...
By David A Nakamura | May 9, 2008; 01:12 PM ET | Email a Comment
Breaking News: Police Rescind Fenty Invite
The Fraternal Order of Police, angered by Mayor Fenty's handling of the DeOnte Rawlings case, has voted to rescind an offer to the mayor to attend and speak at its annual memorial service tomorrow for fallen officers. See the letter here. Early response from Fenty administration is that the mayor...
By David A Nakamura | May 8, 2008; 04:17 PM ET | Comments (13)
Pimp My Police Car
Seen outside Nats Park on Saturday....
By David A Nakamura | May 5, 2008; 02:00 PM ET | Comments (1)
DC Tax Scandal Guilty Plea
Ricardo Walters, a nephew of accused D.C. tax embezzler Harriette Walters, became the first defendant to admit wrongdoing in the massive fraud case, pleading guilty today in federal court in Maryland to charges punishable by up to 30 years in prison. Paul Duggan...
By Marcia Davis | May 2, 2008; 05:29 PM ET | Email a Comment
Father of Rawlings Speaks Out Against Prosecutors
Charles Rawlings, the father of 14-year-old DeOnté Rawlings, said federal prosecutors were "protecting" the off-duty D.C. police officers who shot his son in September. He said the prosecutors were angry about the $100 million lawsuit the family has filed in the case. "They're looking at this and think it's about...
By Marcia Davis | May 2, 2008; 07:10 AM ET | Comments (11)
Police Union Chief: Rawlings Case a "Complete Failure" by Fenty, Lanier
Baumann. (File photo: By James A. Parcell--TWP) Kris Baumann, head of the D.C. police union, hailed the decision by federal prosecutors yesterday not to charge two off-duty officers in the fatal shooting of 14-year-old DeOnté Rawlings as a vindication for the officers. In an interview with the Post yesterday...
By David A Nakamura | May 2, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (3)
DC Madam Commits Suicide in Florida
ALLISON KLEIN AND CAROL D. LEONNIG Washington Post Staff Writers Deborah Jeane Palfrey was convicted last month of running a high-end prostitution service in Washington. More Post Coverage: .headlineLinks ul { list-style: none; margin: 0 0 2px 0; padding: 0; } .headlineLinks ul li { background: transparent url('http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/shared/gr/dk_gray_bullet.gif') no-repeat 0...
By Marcia Davis | May 1, 2008; 01:47 PM ET | Comments (368)
Breaking News: No Charges in Rawlings Shooting
Federal prosecutors said there will be no charges filed against two off-duty D.C. police officers involved in the fatal shooting last September of 14-year-old DeOnté Rawlings. More Post Coverage: .headlineLinks ul { list-style: none; margin: 0 0 2px 0; padding: 0; } .headlineLinks ul li { background: transparent url('http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/shared/gr/dk_gray_bullet.gif') no-repeat...
By Marcia Davis | May 1, 2008; 12:04 PM ET | Comments (3)
Breaking News: Ruling in Police Shooting in minutes...
DeOnte Rawlings (Family Photo) Federal prosecutors announcing decision for two off-duty D.C. police officers involved in the fatal shooting last September of a 14-year-old DeOnté Rawlings. The shooting generated neighborhood tensions as well as a lawsuit from the youth's family....
By Marcia Davis | May 1, 2008; 11:21 AM ET | Comments (1)
Residents Discuss Crime Spike With City Leaders
Hundreds of residents attended the meeting at Turkey Thicket in Northeast Washington last night to discuss the recent spike in violent crime. As Postie Elissa Silverman writes, it was a tough meeting for the city officials on hand, which included Mayor Adrain M. Fenty, Council members Harry Thomas Jr. and...
By Marcia Davis | April 29, 2008; 07:25 AM ET | Comments (25)
Just Wondering: Are We Numb to the Body Count?
What will it take to put an end to the violence in this city that continues to destroy the lives of so many young African American men? Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, Council member Harry Thomas Jr. (D-Ward 5), Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier, and a host of community activists spent...
By Marcia Davis | April 28, 2008; 05:23 PM ET | Comments (2)
Crossing Boundaries
Ward 1 Council Member Jim Graham called The Post's City Desk yesterday to talk about a story that was stripped across the District's metro section Sunday morning. Posties Allison Klein and Dan Keating reported that burglaries are up 21 percent in the city, and police believe that some of it...
By Marcia Davis | April 21, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Email a Comment
Police Focus to Increase in Fifth District
The D.C. police department will double its deployment of officers on the streets in the Fifth District in the wake of five homicides in four days, including one yesterday in the 2800 block of 12 Street NE, officials said today. The outbreak of violence -- part of eight murders city-wide...
By David A Nakamura | April 18, 2008; 02:36 PM ET | Email a Comment
Constitution Project to Mayor: Watch Those Cameras
More concerns are being raised about Mayor Fenty's plan to combine more than 5,000 surveillance cameras into a single network monitored by the city's homeland security agency. Today, the Constitution Project, a legal advocacy group, has issued a release urging Fenty to instruct the agency to adopt policies protecting people's...
By David A Nakamura | April 16, 2008; 04:42 PM ET | Comments (1)
Lanier: 80 Percent of Young Arrestees Are Fatherless
Channel-hopping briefly on Saturday night, we stumbled onto a panel discussion about race relations in America on MSNBC. Among the guests was D.C.'s own Police Chief Cathy Lanier, who was selected, we presume, for her unique role as a white, female chief in a predominantly black and male department. (She...
By David A Nakamura | April 14, 2008; 06:00 PM ET | Comments (1)
Police Achieve Milestone (*Updated)
Mayor Fenty and Police Chief Cathy Lanier announced today that the city has been allowed to terminate its Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Justice, under which the police were subject to oversight by an independent monitor. The arrangement, created in 2001, came in the wake of a Washington...
By David A Nakamura | April 14, 2008; 01:49 PM ET | Email a Comment
In Today's D.C. Extra
Meet the Winter All-Extra high school sports teams, featuring top performers in girls' and boys' basketball, girls' and boys' track and field, and more...Find out who's following in former Ward 5 Council member Vincent Orange's footsteps...Washington Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D) plans to visit the Benning Terrace Soldiers' home field...
By washingtonpost.com editors | April 10, 2008; 02:42 PM ET | Email a Comment
Father of Brittany Jacks Sues District
The Associated Press is reporting that the "father of one of four girls whose bodies were found decomposing in a southeast Washington rowhouse in January has filed a $25 million lawsuit against the city, alleging its agencies failed to adequately handle complaints that the girl was endangered." Read more here....
By David A Nakamura | April 9, 2008; 02:16 PM ET | Email a Comment
