Tag Archives: public-safety

ANC6B Crime Committee Sets 2025 Priorities

by Larry Janezich

Posted January 30, 2025

ANC6B Public Safety Committee.

Last Monday night, 6B’s Public Safety Committee met to lay the groundwork for guiding the committee’s agendas for the rest of current year.  The session was chaired by chair pro tempore, newly elected Commissioner Brian Gorman.

Among suggestions for focusing on the work going forward, were the following:

• Hear a crime report from MPD First District every meeting. 
• Continue discussions about safety at Eastern Market and support expediting installation of static and pneumatic bollards at the Eastern Market Special Use District, including the space occupied by the weekend street vendors.
• Continue discussions with residents of Potomac Gardens regarding their specific needs.
• Encourage engagement with the Office of the DC Attorney General and departments such as the Departments of Behavior Health and Youth Rehabilitation Services as well as the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement, and with representatives of programs including Cure the Streets and the Violence Interrupters.
• Monitor City Council legislation dealing with crime issues and advise ANC6B on positions they should take regarding such legislation.
• Publicize public safety events, using emails to constituents and posts on the ANC6B website.
• Continue neighborhood public safety walks.
• Continue monitoring operation of the 911 system and the Office of Unified Command.
• Provide a forum for people impacted by crime.
• Request regular appearances by the DC Deputy Mayor for Public Safety.

There were two suggestions regarding actions committee members, commissioners and residents can take which pointed to things everyone can do to participate personally in addressing crime issues. 

Every month, MPD provides an opportunity for ANC Commissioners and residents to engage directly with top MPD First District officials and raise concerns about crime issues which directly affect them or their neighborhoods.  It’s surprising that more commissioners and residents fail to take advantage of this opportunity, especially since MPD offers offers assurances that they respond to concerns which are raised.  One suggestion that came out of Monday night’s meeting was:

• Encourage residents and commissioners to attend the monthly virtual meeting of the MPD First District MPD 1D Citizens Advisory Council Monthly (next meeting:  Tuesday, February 4 – 1st Tuesday.  6:00 – 7:15pm.  https://1dcac.com/ )

Regarding a another specific way residents can become personally involved to improve the public safety landscape – albeit long term – resident committee member Ann Keep offered a concrete suggestion, pointing to need for mentoring third grade students in reading.  Keep, a Hill East resident, says she worked for 35 years in the DC Jail and that her public safety world centered on the jail and on people who are released.  She cited a “chilling statistic – when people are considering the construction of new prisons, they look at third grade reading scores because those are the children that are possibly headed in the carceral direction.”