The number of violent crimes in the Georgetown area has dropped by 12 percent in the past year, according to Metropolitan Police Department Commander Peter Newsham of the 2nd district. His comments came at a meeting with the Advisory Neighborhood Commission, the Citizens Association of Georgetown and area residents, who met on Tuesday to discuss area safety concerns.
According to ANC Commissioner Justin Wagner (CAS ‘03), no other district in the city has recorded such a large decrease in crime in the past year. The closest decrease in the area was a decrease of five percent, he said.
Lieutenant Brian Bray, who oversees the police service area encompassing the University and Burleith areas, said that there was a 30 percent decrease in robberies in 2001. This decrease came alongside a 25 percent increase in thefts, a five percent increase in stolen automobiles and a 200 percent decrease in homicides.
Bray said that there were no significant increases or decreases in crimes in the police service area covering M Street. Bray said that thefts and robberies are the main problems facing this area.
Georgetown resident Barbara Downs of the Citizens’ Association of Georgetown, said that the recent well-publicized robberies have prompted the creation of the CAG Guard Program.
The program, seeking to improve safety and enhance a sense of community, divides Georgetown into nine geographic areas. Each of these nine areas is assigned an area coordinators and block representatives, Downs said.
These individuals will meet regularly to discuss how to improve neighborhood safety, she said
