WASHINGTON — On the heels of another deadly shooting in D.C., some leaders are coming together to discuss how to make the city safer.
Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto is moderating a panel discussion Tuesday night, featuring D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, US Attorney Matthew Graves, DC Police Chief Robert Contee, and TRIGGER Project founder Tia Bell.
"Concerns about an increase in crime and a concern around public safety, more generally from the public is the number one issue we hear about from neighbors," Councilmember Pinto said. "And so, we are very concerned about that, and want to make sure we're thinking creatively about additional solutions that our public agency partners really need to address public safety and improve public safety more effectively."
D.C. public data shows that every category of violent crime has increased in Ward 2 over the past two years.
Citywide, however, DC Police data shows that violent crime is down by 4% from the same time last year, as of Monday.
Councilmember Pinto says tonight’s conversation is about identifying what’s working and where the city can improve in funding, information sharing, and more.
“Public safety is not something that we can approach in a silo," she said. "And we really want to make sure that the community has a good understanding of how all of these agencies are coordinating their efforts together now, and what gaps need to be filled so that we can move forward in the right direction.”
She said one of the focus areas is on data coordination, so every agency is working from the same set of information.
After recent scandal, D.C. is also searching for a new Deputy Mayor of Public Safety and Justice.
When asked what she's looking for in the next person to fill the role, Pinto said, "One of the primary aspects that I'll be looking to work on with this person is again, around the collaboration between all of our public safety agencies and partners and ensuring that that collaboration is being communicated effectively to the public."
The councilmember said she's received questions from neighbors, which will help her lead the discussion. It starts at 7 p.m. at the Studio Theatre.
If you want to view the livestream, click here.