Police/Crime Community Meeting Tonight at 2nd District Police Station

The Citizen's Advisory Council for the Metropolitan Police 2nd District monthly is meeting on Wednesday, August 22nd at 7pm. 

Please join your neighbors and representatives of the MPD's 2nd District, and the Assistant US Attorney for the 2nd District to discuss recent crimes and CAC sponsored events in support of the MPD in DC's Second Police District. 

The meeting is held at the 2nd District Station House on the fourth Wednesday of each month:

Second District Station
3320 Idaho Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20016
Phone: (202) 715-7300

Please also "Save the Date" for the Annual Police Awards for the Officers of the 2nd District, to be held on Thursday October 4th, at Maggiano's Little Italy in Friendship Heights. The event is sponsored each year by the CAC 2D and the community. Private citizens and businesses help to sponsor the event through donations, buying advertisements in the event brochure and by purchasing tickets to the event. Please contact me by email or mail if you can be a part of this wonderful event where we honor the Police who do so much for our community. 

Donations or inquiries for the Awards event may be sent to:

Citizen's Advisory Council for the MPD 2nd District
c/o George Corey
5505 Connecticut Ave, NW #362
Washington, DC 20015 

In terms of Public Safety: Though crimes in our region have decreased, the MPD urges us to keep our doors and windows locked, and all valuables out of sight, at our homes and cars. Thefts from autos and other crimes of opportunity are preventable if we all only take a few precautions.

Best,

George S. Corey
Chair, CAC 2D

coreygeorges @ Ymail.com

Tonight: Memorial Service for Slain MPD Officer Oliver Smith

Members of the District of Columbia community are invited to join the Smith family and friends as the memory of Officer Oliver Smith, Jr., of the Metropolitan Police Department (DC) is honored. Officer Oliver Smith was shot and killed outside of his apartment in Forestville, Maryland, while off duty during a robbery attempt. Officer Smith was returning home from his shift in civilian clothes when three suspects approached him as he was exiting his vehicle outside of his home. During the robbery they made him lie face down. As they searched him they found his duty weapon and badge and then shot him three times in the back of his head as he lay on the ground. The three suspects were arrested and charged with first degree murder. Officer Smith had served with the agency for three years. He was survived by his wife and five year old son.

The service will be held on Thursday, March 3, 2011 at 7:00pm at the Second District Police Station, inside the Community Room located at 3320 Idaho Ave., NW. All are welcome to attend; light refreshments will be served. For more information, please contact the Washington, DC Chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) at 202-332-COPS (2677) or mail @ dc-cops.org.

2nd District MPD Commander Matt Klein Transferred; Michael Reese to Be New Commander

Second District Police Commander Matt Klein has been transferred to another division. Michael E. Reese, who has been with the Metropolitan Police for 25 years, will be the new Commander of the Second District MPD. Commander Reese spent the past two years as Inspector in the First District and was an Inspector in the School Security Division, Captain in the Fourth District, and a Captain in the Internal Affairs Division.

Here is Commander Klein's announcement.

I wanted to let you all know that effective today, I will be transferring to another division within the department. I have enjoyed serving as your commander over the last two years; however, taking on this new position will enable me to spend much needed time with my family.  I want to express my gratitude to the Second District community for the unwavering support that I received over the past two years.  There are so many of you that truly care about public safety and about making the neighborhoods in the Second District better places to live. Just as importantly, I want to thank my team here at 2D, namely the men and women who are out there every day and night and give everything they have to make sure folks are safe.  The officers are led by a great team of supervisors and managers who continue to make themselves available to community concerns all hours of the day.  Through their efforts, we were able to end 2010 with almost 10% less crime than the year before.  This is no accident, but rather, the result of true community and police partnerships.

I am looking forward to this new chapter in my MPD career.  As always, I am just an email away should you need anything at all.

Best regards

Commander Matt Klein 

More iPhone Thefts in DC

There have been a rash iPhone robberies in the District. Here's the report from Second District Police Commander Matt Klein, which he posted today. If you own an iPhone (or other smartphone), it's a good idea to have a traking app, so that if your phone is stolen or lost, you can locate it. It's terrible to have your phone snatched, but there's some satisfaction in knowing that the police can find your phone, along with the person who stole it.

Over the weekend, there were at least four street-level robberies involving iPhones. In each case, the suspects approached the victim that was either talking or carrying the phone, and snatched it before running away. The robberies occurred in various areas of the Second District, including:

o 1500 Block of 15th Street, NW

o 1200 Block of Riggs Place, NW

o 1500 Block of T Street, NW

o 2300 Block of L Street, NW

We're seeing folks getting phones snatched away as they walk down the street, or grabbed from tables while sitting at restaurants. Although the vast majority of these offenses do not involve physical harm to the victim, this is a continuing trend that deserves attention.

As always, I'm asking folks to be aware of their surroundings, especially while walking down the street and talking on the phone (try and avoid doing that if you are walking alone at night). Do not leave your phone lying on a table while dining out as this may also attract would-be thieves.

It's Mostly Neighbors Who Blow Through Stop Signs

Urban legend has it that it's mostly commuters who blow through stop signs. People who live in a particular neighborhood are much more likely to respect the local traffic laws.

It turns out that this urban legend is exactly that -- legend, not fact -- at least in the Cleveland Park neighborhood. Here's what one ANC commissioner reported on the Cleveland Park Listserv about how local drivers behave. And they behave badly:

Officer Baker has been out patrolling 36th St. between Porter and Lowell Streets and also Macomb St. between Wisconsin and 35th Streets. He reports that he is writing stop sign violations and that contrary to urban legend the violators live in the neighborhood. This is a reminder to come to complete stop even if you don't see another car or pedestrian.

Home Burglaries on the Increase in the 2nd District MPD

There's been an uptick in burglaries in the Second District. While we sleep, robbers have been breaking into our homes, especially in the wee hours.  Here is the update from Detective Alan Hill on what you can do to prevent your home from being robbed:

The Second District has experienced residential burglaries over the last week. These burglaries have been clustered around the northern end of the Second District (PSA 201, 202,203) in areas such as the 3900 to 3400 blocks of Harrison, Morrison and have extended down Connecticut Ave around Van Ness Street.

These burglaries have taken place mostly in the early morning hours between 1:00am and 5:00am. The common element in most of these burglaries is that the individual enters the rear of the home from an alleyway and checks for unlocked doors and windows. Once inside the individual(s) are removing electronic items and personal effects such as wallets purses and keys.