Category: Public Safety

BLOG: MPD Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit Connecting to Neighborhood through Facebook

Please read this contribution by Public Safety Liaison and 2B09 Commissioner Noah Smith:

Our friends at the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit (GLLU) of the Metropolitan Police Department are asking neighbors to “Like” them on Facebook for updates on new initiatives and community events. The GLLU has been a great partner to the neighborhood and the ANC for several years.

The GLLU is located right off of Dupont Circle, but provides provides 24 hour assistance to members of the LGBT community throughout the city as well as the police department. Their mission is to prevent crime and the fear of crime in the gay and lesbian communities and work with others to build safe and healthy communities throughout the District of Columbia.

There is a GLLU member on call 24 hours a day who can be reached either at GLLU@dc.gov or by calling 202-506-0714 anytime. Please “Like” their Facebook Page for more information.

NEWS: ANC Publishes Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2012

At its January 2013 meeting, the ANC approved the FY 2012 Annual Report submitted by Chairman Will Stephens.  The annual report provides a snapshot of the activities of the ANC from October 2011 through September 2012 — including votes taken, issues discussed, achievements, personnel, staff, and finances.

Particularly interesting are the statistics showing how the ANC voted on regulatory applications (alcohol, public space, zoning, historic preservation) over the course of the year.

DC law requires ANCs to submit annual reports to the Council each year.  At minimum, these required reports must include a breakdown of the ANCs finances and key activities and votes.  The Dupont Circle ANC has in recent years generated annual reports that are meant to serve a broader audience — including new and old residents, businesses, other ANCs, and other community stakeholders.  It is intended to be attractive and easy to read, in addition to being informative.

You can find the FY 2012 Annual Report on our Annual Reports page, along with reports going back to 1976, the first year of the ANCs.

In addition, a PDF of the new FY 2012 Annual Report is available here: FY2012-AnnualReport-FINAL(1-9-2013).

NEWS: Bicycle Safety Meeting 9/27/12

Day/Time: September 27 from 7:00pm-9:00pm

Location:  The Chastleton Ballroom, 1701 16th St., NW (corner of 16th & R)

The Dupont Circle and Logan Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANC) jointly announce a public meeting for residents, business owners and organizations to discuss bicycle safety issues in the community.  With biking for transit expanding rapidly in our community, many issues, concerns, and questions have arisen.  Some topics for discussion are:

  • The District’s plans to make DC more bike/pedestrian-friendly; any plans or ideas for the Dupont-Logan area and its residents.
  • The laws/rules about street/sidewalk biking; consequences for those who break them.  Whether any of these laws/rules should be revised or updated by the City Council.
  • New bike lanes:  Where/when are they coming and where else are they needed.  Tips for dealing with the new 2-way bike lanes for bikers, drivers, and pedestrians.   Also, bike parking.

After hearing strong concerns about road safety at a public listening session on in June, the Dupont and Logan Circle communities are working together to discuss these and any other issues that residents wish to bring up.  At this meeting, District transportation and police officials will be in attendance, in addition to community leaders and bicycling experts.  The Dupont Circle Citizens Association, the Logan Circle Citizens Association, and the Urban Neighborhood Alliance are partnering with the ANC’s on this important community listening and education session.

This is an opportunity to have your voices heard on bicycle safety concerns whether you’re a daily or occasional biker, a pedestrian, or a driver.  The meeting will be a guided discussion  to help inform and guide the city’s public safety agenda so that your bicycle safety concerns can be addressed productively and collaboratively — if not at the meeting, at least in the near future.

We hope to see you and hear from you and your neighbors at the meeting.

Kishan Putta (Dupont)

Noah Smith (Dupont)

Chris Linn (Logan)

Public Safety Liaisons

NEWS: Man Sentenced to 11½ Years in Prison for Violent Crimes in Dupont Circle Neighborhood

A man with a history of criminal activity in the Dupont Circle area was sentenced last week to over 11 years in prison stemming from an attempted robbery and assault in the 1800 block of Jefferson Place, NW in January 2012.

Reginald Teneyck was convicted of assault with intent to rob, felony assault, and destruction of property according to a release from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Colombia.  Teneyck broke the window of an occupied parked car and began assaulting the driver in an attempt to steal his laptop. Several witnesses intervened and held him down until police arrived.

The lengthy sentence, ensuring that Teneyck will be off the streets for almost a dozen years, is a testament to the hard work of our 2nd District police force at MPD and the prosecutors at the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

In the future, the Dupont Circle ANC would like to begin coordinating the submission of Community Impact Statements to influence the sentencing of criminals who have affected our neighborhood. For more information, contact Noah Smith or Kishan Putta, the ANC’s Public Safety Liaisons.

NEWS: Dupont Circle ANC Hosts Public Safety Listening Session

On June 20th, the Dupont Circle ANC and their Public Safety Liaisons, Noah Smith and Kishan Putta, hosted a listening session on public safety hosted by the Jewish Community Center.  The meeting was a forum for community members to communicate concerns about neighborhood safety issues and to influence the public safety agenda of the ANC moving forward.

 

Over 45 residents, business owners and government officials attended to hear those concerns and form relationships to address them in the future.  The ANC was very pleased to have Ward 2 Council Member Jack Evans speak at the opening of the meeting, and also to have many representatives from the Meteropolitan Police Department — including Commander Reese (2nd District), Commander Kishter (3rd District), Lt. McDonald (PSA 208), Lt. Lindsay (PSA 301), and others.  Representatives from the District Department of Transportation also attended.

A majority of the discussion was focused on either traffic safety concerns or crime in the area. Here is a roundup on the topics that were voiced:

 

Bicyclist and Pedestrian Safety

 

  • Bicyclist and pedestrian safety were of chief concern to many neighbors. Cycling is growing quickly throughout the city and safely sharing the road and sidewalk is a top priority.
  • Concerns were raised about the 15th St cycle track and how it can sometimes be dangerous when cars cross the bike lanes in the middle of a block and when driver park their cars and need to get to the sidewalk.  There was a great suggestion to increase signage on the cycle track to better warn cars and bikers about other road users.
  • The rules for how and where it is legal to bike on the sidewalk were discussed and it was agreed that more biking infrastructure and education.
  • Construction projects on major roadways, such as 14th St, often use sidewalk space, forcing pedestrians to either cross the street or walk in a traffic lane. This can last for a year or more depending on the construction project. Options for how to address this issue should be explored with city agencies. 

 

Vehicular Traffic Concerns

 

  • Several people voiced concerns about how dangerous it is to walk and bike in and around the Dupont traffic circle’s lanes:
    • The timing of lights and pedestrian signage is off, often forcing pedestrians to stand on small medians in the middle of traffic.
    • Drivers may be confused about which lanes will take them to which streets and they often illegally turn, putting pedestrians at risk.
    • One suggestion was to add more helpful signage in the circle. Another  suggestion was to add traffic cameras to the circle and in the neighborhood

 

Crime and Law Enforcement

 

  • There was initial discussion about the timing of Police Service Area (PSA) meetings. There are two PSAs in two separate police districts that service the Dupont Circle neighborhood (208 and 301 in the 2nd and 3rd districts respectively) and leadership from those areas meet on a regular basis with neighbors.  The timing of those meetings was of concern to some neighbors, especially those concerned about crimes that cross the PSA/district borders.  The police Lieutenants in charge of those PSAs understood the concerns and are discussing the best ways to address the issue – they stressed that they are always available by email or phone.
  • Residents asked about how best to report suspicious activity or crimes in progress. MPD provided some fantastic information to help:
  • There was interest in Community Impact Statements to influence the sentencing of people found guilty of crimes in the neighborhood. A Community Impact Statement is a description of how a crime or series of crimes have affected our community.
  • The neighborhood was encouraged to submit one community impact statement on behalf of the entire community, which could be coordinated through the ANC.