MPD Emergency Crime Meeting

This past Monday, I attended the "emergency community meeting" called by ANC Commissioner Robert V. Brannum, held at Saint George's Episcopal Church (2nd and U Streets, NW, not far from my house).

Brannum called the meeting in response to "a surge in home burglaries in recent weeks." Officials of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (Fifth District) led the meeting. About two commissioners, nine residents, and four police officers attended. Dee from Councilman Vincent Orange's office also attended.

Lt. Purnell spoke most of the meeting. He suggested that residents vary their schedules slightly so that criminals cannot gauge expected arrival/departure times. He emphasized that residents should consider purchasing an alarm system with a monitoring service that calls police. The next best thing is a dog and motion-triggered outdoor lights, he said.

Furthermore, Lt. Purnell noted that when walking home, it is important to be aware of one's surroundings. Before exiting one's vehicle, see if someone is standing nearby. "If it doesn't feel right, call the police," Lt. Purnell said, adding, "Don't be tunnel-visioned [when walking to] your door."

The officers took several questions from residents in attendance. I asked whether officers were walking the beat in our neighborhood, because I had never seen any officers doing so. Purnell said that foot patrols do indeed work the neighborhood from the afternoon through the evening (please post a comment if you have witnessed these foot patrols).

Lt. Purnell finished with a discussion of how to make identification of suspects easier for the police. He noted that the most popular description was "male, in white t-shirt and jeans," which identifies half of the neighborhood. Instead, residents should consider working with police officers by giving the dispatcher a call-back number so that officers can ask additional details. Lt. Purnell shared a police technique that requires the continued bravery and cooperation of residents. Whenever reporting criminal activity, residents should take a good look at the persons involved so as to later be able to "paint that picture for us."