Justice Department Fact Sheet: Response to District of Columbia Crime Emergency

22 July 2006

The following fact sheet on law enforcement response to the District of Columbia crime emergency was released today by the U.S. Department of Justice:

Background

Although violent crime in Washington is generally declining, the District has seen a recent increase in the number of violent crimes and robberies. To address the issue, a coalition of federal and local law enforcement agencies has formed a new Violent Crime Task Force. This Task Force, led by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Washington Field Office and the U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO), will focus its efforts on reducing violent crimes and robberies in the District and will supplement existing violent crime reduction strategies.

Formation of the Violent Crime Task Force is the first step in a long-term plan to combat violent crime in the District. Within 60 days, all regional law enforcement agencies will gather for a Violent Crime Summit to assess the efforts of the Task Force and plan a strategy for addressing violent crime in the District in the upcoming year. The Task Force and Summit will complement and enhance existing efforts to ensure that District residents and visitors are safe and secure in the nation's capital.

THE VIOLENT CRIME TASK FORCE

The Task Force will be staffed by a joint federal and local team composed of supervisory-level representatives from both the MPD and FBI, MPD detectives, FBI agents and prosecutors, intelligence research specialists and criminal investigators from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. The Task Force will be supported by a larger coalition of District and federal law enforcement agencies, including the Metro Transit Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Capitol Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Marshals Service, the United States Park Police and the United States Secret Service. The Task Force will concentrate on identifying and apprehending persons responsible for violent crimes in the District, particularly robberies.

Increased Enforcement Response - Task Force members will aggressively investigate pending cases and will dedicate increased resources to address violent crimes, particularly robberies. Among the enforcement efforts are the following:

-- MPD will dedicate a group of officers and detectives to supplement the Career Criminal Unit's robbery and violent crime investigations. Additionally, MPD is adopting a six-day work week to ensure additional police presence on the street. MPD has also assigned a group of detectives and officers to work a "power shift," will increase police overtime and has provided commanders with the flexibility to adjust schedules so that officers can be placed where they are needed, when they are needed.

-- The USAO has adjusted its case intake schedule to accommodate MPD's "power shift," and Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) will work the hours necessary to handle cases in arraignment court. In addition, the USAO and Washington, D.C. Attorney General's office will identify juveniles (ages 16 and 17 years old) who appropriately should be treated as adults for the purpose of prosecution for violent crimes.

-- Where possible, the USAO will seek to have robbery defendants held without bond in pending cases. The USAO will work in close coordination with MPD, the Washington, D.C. Pretrial Services Agency and the Court Services and Offender Supervisor Agency (CSOSA) to aggressively enforce conditions of release on offenders. MPD will enhance its efforts to enforce conditions of release in criminal cases.

-- The FBI will conduct surveillance of robbery suspects, conduct undercover operations and assist in the investigation of pending cases.

-- The Washington Field Office of the FBI has received a full commitment from the FBI's laboratory to expedite all Task Force laboratory and forensic services.

-- The MPD will work with the ATF to focus on identifying and apprehending individuals who "rent" illegal firearms to criminals in the District of Columbia.

-- Metro Transit Police Department has detailed an officer to the Task Force to assist in the investigation of robberies and other violent crimes.

-- U.S. Capitol Police has detailed an officer to the Task Force to assist in the investigation of robberies and other violent crimes.

Intelligence Gathering and Leveraging Technology - Understanding that investigations and prosecutions depend on reliable information and intelligence, the Task Force will undertake the following actions:

-- To ensure a focus on the most significant violators, the USAO is reviewing every pending robbery case to find commonalities of defendants, locations and modus operandi.

-- In addition, the USAO, in coordination with MPD, is reviewing all robbery and assault reports that did not result in arrests, in order to link similar incidents and develop prosecutable cases against robbery suspects. The USAO also is reviewing its "no papered" and closed case files for the past several years for persons identified as robbery suspects.

-- The USAO has issued a directive requiring prosecutors debriefing any defendant to inquire about robberies and to make similar inquiries of any current cooperators and informants.

-- The FBI will assist in pooling data on robberies and violent crimes and will help analyze that data and provide it to the Task Force. The FBI also will make available to the Task Force its crime mapping capabilities and other sophisticated technologies to support investigations and prosecutions as needed.

Focus on Fugitives - In support of the Task Force's efforts, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) will conduct a series of intensive fugitive apprehension efforts targeted at the hundreds of fugitive defendants with outstanding felony warrants in the District. Dubbed "Operation City Heat," Deputy U.S. Marshals in the District, assisted by additional USMS personnel from throughout the region, will team with federal and local law enforcement officers to locate and apprehend fugitives and bring them to justice.

Outreach - Spearheaded by the MPD, the Task Force will develop "Do You Know Where Your Children Are?" public service announcements, conduct extensive outreach to businesses regarding security measures and will the community through action-oriented emergency Patrol Service Area meetings.

VIOLENT CRIME SUMMIT

Within 60 days, federal and local law enforcement agencies in the District will hold a Violent Crime Summit. At this summit, the participants will review the Task Force's intensive response to the crime emergency as well as the ongoing efforts to reduce violent crime in the District. During the summit, all participating agencies will develop a joint, comprehensive understanding of the efforts underway and, where appropriate, make recommendations for improvements and enhancements of those efforts. At the conclusion of the summit, the participating agencies will develop a strategy for moving forward to address violent crime in the District for the upcoming year.

http://www.usnewswire.com/

Source: usnewswire

All trademarks and copyrighted information contained herein are the property of their respective owners.