Crime in Park View Up — MPD Needs to Refocus Attention and Keep Redistricting Promises
Last year, police chief Cathy Lanier held a series of public meetings informing residents that as of January 1, 2012, MPD would be redistricting. Residents were told that this would result in MPD being able to more effectively police our residential neighborhoods. The chief change for Ward 1 was that Mt. Pleasant and northern Columbia Heights & Park View were moved from the Third police district to the Fourth police district to the north. Councilmember Graham — along with many residents of Mt. Pleasant and Park View — opposed this plan. Lanier, however, held fast stating that this was necessary for continued effective policing.
However, in reviewing year-to-date police statistics (pulled from DC Crime map on 8/20/12), it is clear that Park View is not receiving the attention that it needs from MPD. The statistics show that Ward 1 has a total increase in crime of 5%. Similarly, the new PSA 409 (4D map here) has a total increase in crime of 5%. The new PSA 302 (which covers the area between the Soldiers’ Home and 16th Street, between Park Road/Monroe and Harvard Street) has a total increase in crime of 24%.
Yet, in pulling the statistics for crime within 1,500 feet of the intersection of 6th Street and Newton Place — which encompass most of the neighborhood north of Kenyon Street — the total increase in Park View crime over last year is a whopping 41%.
Clearly something isn’t right here. It is time for MPD to live up to the promises that were made with redistricting. Below are the year-to-date statistics for Ward 1, PSA 409, and 1,500 of 6th and Newton. Click on each image for a larger version.
2012 year-to-date crime statistics, by category, for the majority of the neighborhood
2012 year-to-date crime statistics, by category, for PSA 409
2012 year-to-date crime statistics, by category, for PSA 302
2012 year-to-date crime statistics, by category, for Ward 1
Park View, D.C. 
August 21, 2012 at 7:53 am
If you’d like, MPD can start to increase their underreporting of incidents in these areas. That will surely make the crime statistics look better.
August 21, 2012 at 9:14 am
Totally agree. t’s like our neighborhood has just been discovered. We never had any problems and now have had 2 home break-ins on our block during the day plus numerous car break ins. Pretty scary stuff.
August 21, 2012 at 10:32 am
I wish the police had the authority to do more to break up the loitering on the corners late at night, particularly around the Rec Center. I can see the guys out there drinking and getting louder and rowdier by the hour which leads too problems late at night and harassment of folks walking home. I am concerned by the recent number of break ins, especially during the day. We need everyone to also keep their porch lights on at night (some of these blocks are really dark with the full tree canopy). we are also having a light installed on the back of our house to stay on all night in the alley. Every little bit helps but yes, we need the police to do more than just ride by on bikes once an hour.
August 21, 2012 at 11:19 am
This is pretty serious. Have you thought about inviting councilman Gtaham and chief Lanier to a follow up meeting?
August 21, 2012 at 3:37 pm
The WaPo wrote about increased crime in developing areas recently. Basically, as an area gentrifies there are more targets for criminals. I’d wager the continued development of Park View and the GA Ave corridor are responsible for the uptick in crime, not the realigned police boundaries.
For example, for 6th & Newton the largest increase in crime is in the “theft from auto” category. It’s up 157%. There are 88 more total crimes this year and 78 more thefts from autos. You see a similar spike in the other PSAs. If robberies were massively increasing, I’d be worried. However, they’re actually down in the Newton and 6th data, PSA 409, and Ward 1 as a whole.
None of this is to excuse MPD, but I think that there’s a big difference between the number of street robberies increasing (something MPD can work to eliminate) and thefts from cars (easier for residents to prevent).