WASHINGTON — D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser will meet with stakeholders from numerous public safety organizations, government agencies, and private organizations to discuss ways to fight crime Wednesday morning.
The mayor will hold the public safety summit in a District office building, in D.C.’s Navy Yard neighborhood starting at 9 a.m.
Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert Contee and District Attorney General Brian Schwalb will be some of the District officials to join the mayor for the event. Officials from WMATA, Monumental Sports, the D.C. Chamber, various campus police departments and court officials are also expected to attend.
Currently, violent crime is up 10% in D.C., year-to-date, according to MPD data. Homicides are up this year compared to last year.
Prior to this event, District leaders have announced other efforts to stave off criminal activity this year.
In February, Councilwoman Brooke Pinto held a three-day long public forum to gather ideas from the general public and advocacy groups on what do in regard to crime.
Then, in April, Bowser and Contee announced MPD would partake in a larger community policing effort, fueled by data, that would result in more cops walking neighborhood streets.
Anacostia resident Jamie Partridge described the District’s current crime issues as “horrible” and said more experienced cops were needed on D.C. streets.
“They’re putting cops out here, from the police academy, that are these children’s ages,” she said.
>Video below: Navy Yard residents discuss crime solutions in D.C.
Navy Yard resident Ameena Green said she was not against more cops being placed on District streets. However, she added more needed to be done to address the root causes of crime. Green advocated for giving youth more programs to keep them busy.
“Kids need help,” she said. “They need support. Will that stop all the crime? No. But, they’re also abandoned right now. Sure, a cop presence will fix certain things immediately. But it doesn’t change the root of the issue.”
Tuesday’s summit will not be open to the public. However, WUSA9 will stream it on WUSA9.com and its YouTube page, starting at 9 am.