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| | | Police promise more action on Hill carjacking spree | | December 22, 2009 | | | | Voice Correspondent | | D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said a team of people have been tasked with looking into a spate of carjackings that have plagued the residential area from 12th to 14th streets NE between Maryland and Tennessee avenues since mid-October.
The most recent of seven incidents occurred during the day on Dec. 13 when a resident was carjacked while she was taking her two young sons out of the car.
There have been 20 carjackings in Police Service Areas 103 and 107 on Capitol Hill since the beginning of the year. Four perpetrators were unarmed. Of the 16 armed carjacking cases, eight have been closed, according to Detective Thomas Stein, who works on a special carjacking task force. While violent crime in the area is down overall, carjackings are up.
The spate has alarmed many residents and taxed the Metropolitan Police Department’s ability to respond to the trend. Last night, more than 100 residents gathered in the gym at Options Public Charter School to talk about the carjackings.
Hill resident James Gentry, whose wife was the victim of an attempted carjacking at the beginning of this month, said he was frustrated with "shoddy police work" and had not seen a patrol officer since the attack.
"I just want to see a cop. I want to see a cop car," Gentry said. "As a husband and as a father, I count on you guys to protect my family."
Lanier promised a beat police officer would immediately begin walking the streets that have been targeted by the carjackers.
“It's just too violent a crime. The propensity for people to get hurt is really high,” Lanier said, adding that "it has unfortunately become something that is popular.”
The police chief was also quick to take responsibility for the crime spree.
"It is not the community's fault for being victimized. If a crime occurs it's our fault," Lanier said. "When things come up to me, it means that something has gone on too long."
Most of the perpetrators have been juvenile males between 13 to 17 years old. The criminals don’t seem to be motivated by economics. Stein said many of the cars are briefly driven then abandoned a few blocks away.
Lanier said many suspects and perpetrators live outside the central Capitol Hill area in neighborhoods such as Trinidad, Rosedale, Clay Terrace and Capitol Heights. Lanier said all the carjacking suspects had some kind of a criminal record.
Ward 6 D.C. Councilman Tommy Wells speculated that the reason Capitol Hill is being struck is that it is the first residential community would-be-perpetrators drive through after crossing the Anacostia River.
Police Lt. William Farr, who heads up the carjacking unit, said the robbers were "looking for people who are vulnerable, who are not paying attention to their surroundings."
He advised residents to “walk tall” and to make eye contact with people they pass on the street. The carjacking task force also recommended parking in well-lit areas and advised residents to memorize their license plate number so that they can quickly relay it to police if they are the victim of a carjacking.
Several residents questioned whether enough had been done by the D.C. Council to keep known violent offenders in prison, such as enacting a three-strike law.
Wells said that punitive measures such as three-strikes laws, which mandate that three-time violent offenders be jailed for an extended period of time, have not "necessarily shown that we're any safer."
"In terms of locking up someone for the rest of their life or however long after they've done three of these crimes, I just don't see the any of the surrounding areas, including D.C., trending towards that," Wells said.
Lanier told residents to contact judges and prosecutors to let them know how much the carjackings affect their lives by writing victim impact statements.
"It's another way of making the rest of the justice system feel the impact," Lanier said.
As usual, residents should also report suspicious activity by texting 50411 and e-mail 1st District Cmdr. David Kamperin at david.kamperin@dc.gov with concerns.
"It much better serves us, it much better serves you if we keep an ongoing dialogue," Lanier said. | | | | | Log in to comment on this article |
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