September DNA Meeting

From DNA President Miles Groves:

Please join us for this month's DNA Meeting scheduled for Tuesday evening (9/8) at Calvary Baptist Church (733 8th Street NW). The meeting begins at 6:30PM with PSA101W followed by two discussion leaders. Metropolitan Police Department Chief Cathy Lanier is scheduled to be our first discussion leader. This is a great opportunity to meet Chief Lanier, ask questions, and learn more about the Chinatown Initiative. First District Commander Kamperin has also been invited.

Our second discussion leader will be Neighborhood Planner Emily Yates. Emily has attended many of our past meetings and is our contact for the Family Amenity Project. She will be talking about the Mount Vernon Square Study that recently started. This study includes land use consideration for several blocks on the northern end of our neighborhood. One of our interests with this study is the inclusion of green space for an urban park that we hope will include family programming (playground). There will be a public meeting on October 1st at the Carnegie Library that we need community support with attendance to make our concerns with the lack of family programming-space/green-space in our neighborhood. Emily will have more information on this meeting next week.

Please RSVP so we have a sense of how to set up the room, but please plan to join the meeting regardless of whether you RSVP. A meeting with Chief Lanier is a rare opportunity.

Photo from the MPD Bike Ride

Photo from the Mount Vernon Triangle MPD Bike Ride on August 20th, 2009.


On the MVSNA blog Si Kailian has recapped the outing and shared 8 additional photos.

MVT Community Bike Ride with Police this Thursday

The Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District (MVTCID) has organized the second edition of the annual neighborhood MPD bike ride. The ride will take place on Thursday August 20th beginning at 6pm at 555 Mass, wind its way through the neighborhood, and end at Golden Rule Plaza.


While I'm certain MPD is fully aware of the prostitute congregation at the 5th & Mass pocket park those participating in the ride should use this opportunity to express concern directly to the officers.

National Night Out ** UPDATED**

UPDATE [8/4/2009 2:37PM] I'm now hearing the PSA 101W NNO walk will begin at 7th & H at 6:30PM rather than Golden Rule.

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National Night Out (NNO) is an annual event, sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch, that takes place on the first Tuesday in August. Each year, the Metropolitan Police Department actively participates in National Night Out by rallying community members throughout the District of Columbia to join with neighbors and police officers in their PSAs to be a part of this annual event.

I'm still trying to track down more hard specifics, but here's what I've heard so far for NNO in the Triangle:

From Lt Royal:

"PSA 101 is going to do a walk from Chinatown to the Golden Rule building (1050 NJ Ave NW) for an ice cream social and then back. Starts at 6:30pm. Residents can use the walk to point out issues to the police".

Additionally the MVSNA National Night Out group will meet at Safeway at 7:30PM.

UPDATE [8/3/2009 5:37PM]
From DNA President Miles Groves:

National Night Out is scheduled for tomorrow night, Tuesday, August 4. This year we start with an ice cream social at The Golden Rule Plaza located at 1050 New Jersey Avenue NW at 6:30PM.

Following this “meet and greet” social hour, Lt Craig Royal will partner with members of the 101W neighborhood for a community walk from Golden Rule along the K Street Corridor to Chinatown and back. Throughout the night crime prevention literature and discussions will be held for community members. It will be an opportunity to point out areas of concern along the walk as well as sharing other parts of the neighborhood that deserve greater focus. This is a great opportunity to meet with neighbors, walk the neighborhood, and discuss issues with police officers responsible for the downtown neighborhood.

This is an important way to show our support for our neighborhood police officers, so please try to attend.

Crime camera relocated to 6th and Eye NW

From an April 1st release:

MPD Moves CCTV Camera to 6th and I Streets, NW

Chief of Police Cathy L. Lanier announced today the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has relocated a Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) camera from the unit block of K Street, NW to the 600 block of I St, NW. The camera is among 75 neighborhood crime cameras in the District.

The primary goal of the CCTV system is to enhance the safety and security of residents, workers and visitors in the District of Columbia, while vigorously respecting the privacy rights of individuals.

I believe this location is nearby the site of multiple past muggings of Chinatown store owners.

MVT Crime Map - YTD

I'm traveling today - so now seemed like as good a time as any to post an update to the Year-to-Date MVT Crime Map (thru 10/28).

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Courtesy of DC MPD's Crime and Activity Statistics webpage I was able to create a Google Map of year-to-date crime activity in the Triangle. The MPD tool allows you to specify the details of your report. I exported the report as a KML file and then imported it into Google Maps.


The image above is a thumbnail of the Crime Map. For the full effect, click through to the Google Map. Once on the google map click on the pushpins for descriptions of the crimes. Most are theft from autos but there is a car jacking, a pair of muggings on 5th Street, and a few ADWs. For help deciphering the shorthand notation in the descriptions or other general knowledge behind MPD's crime maps, please visit the DC MPD Crime Incidents Abstract.

Note: While the number of year-to-date MVT crime incidents on the map may seem high - many neighborhoods had exponentially many more. The Downtown BID had more year-to-date incidents then the KML export tool could even output.

Homicide Reported in the 400 block of NY Ave NW

From an email just sent out by Commander Kamperin on the MPD-1D listserv:

( Washington , DC ) — The Metropolitan Police Department is currently investigating a homicide which occurred in the 400 block of New York Avenue, N.W.

At approximately 5:20 a.m., on Sunday, October 26, 2008, officers from the First District responded to Jimmy’s Auto located in the 400 block of New York Avenue, N.W., to investigate the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located an adult male suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. The victim was transported to an area hospital where he was subsequently pronounced dead at 10:55 p.m.

The decedent in this case has been identified as 38-year-old David Thomas of the 1700 block of North Pulaski Street , in Baltimore , Maryland ,

This case remains under investigation by detectives from the department’s Homicide and Sexual Offenses Branch. Anyone with information about this case is asked to call police at (202) 727-9099 or 1-888-CRIM[E] . Anonymous information may also be forwarded to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411.

The Metropolitan Police Department currently offers a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone that provides information which leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons wanted for any homicide committed in the District of Columbia .

MPD-1D also reported four shooting victims not too far from the Triangle (NY Ave at N Capitol St NW) at 3:21AM this morning.

Reminder: Dog Walk with MPD tonight

From MVT CID:

Join your neighbors and a Metropolitan Police Officer for a Dog Walk with MPD around Mount Vernon Triangle on Thursday, August 14th, from 6:30pm to 7:00pm. Meet in front of The Sonata - 301 Mass Ave, NW. This event will go on rain or shine.

After the dog walk, you can learn more about crime and safety in Polic Service Area 101 East by attending the monthly meeting of the Metropolitan Police Department at the Golden Rule Plaza, 1050 New Jersey Avenue NW. Meeting are held on the second Thursday of each month at 7:00pm.

Community Meeting on Crime Surge with Assistant Chief Groomes

From DNA president Miles Groves:

Dear Downtown Neighbors,

There has been a recent surge in robberies on 5th Street north of Massachusetts Avenue to K Street NW and along the Chinatown section of I Street NW. Tomorrow night their will be a community meeting held at the Chinatown Community Cultural Center. Assistant Chief Diane Grooms will address the surge of robberies. The meeting will begin at 7PM and end at 8PM. For more information, visit this link:

http://www.ccccdc.org/templates/content.asp?articleid=380&zoneid=12

Thanks,

Miles E. Groves
Downtown Neighborhood Association

I won't be able to attend, but if someone does and would be willing to share a recap that would be great. I think most of us are interested in what MPD will do to further promote safety along 5th Street after the Safeway opens.

Dog Walk with MPD this Thursday

From MVT CID:

Join your neighbors and a Metropolitan Police Officer for a Dog Walk with MPD around Mount Vernon Triangle on Thursday, August 14th, from 6:30pm to 7:00pm. Meet in front of The Sonata - 301 Mass Ave, NW. This event will go on rain or shine.

After the dog walk, you can learn more about crime and safety in Police Service Area 101 East by attending the monthly meeting of the Metropolitan Police Department at the Golden Rule Plaza, 1050 New Jersey Avenue NW. Meeting are held on the second Thursday of each month at 7:00pm.

MVT Crime Map

Courtesy of DC MPD's Crime and Activity Statistics webpage I was able to create a Google Map of year-to-date crime activity in the Triangle. The MPD tool allows you to specify the details of your report. I exported the report as a KML file and then imported it into Google Maps.


The image above is a thumbnail of the Crime Map. For the full effect, click through to the Google Map. Once on the google map click on the pushpins for descriptions of the crimes. Most are theft from autos but there is a car jacking, a pair of muggings on 5th Street, and a few ADWs. For help deciphering the shorthand notation in the descriptions or other general knowledge behind MPD's crime maps, please visit the DC MPD Crime Incidents Abstract.

Note: While the number of year-to-date MVT crime incidents on the map may seem high - many neighborhoods had exponentially many more. The Downtown BID had more year-to-date incidents then the KML export tool could even output.