Due to security concerns and complaints from neighbors, police presence has increased permanently in Georgetown and will be especially high tonight for Halloween.
The number of police officers will be greater than a normal Thursday night because of the various Halloween activities in the neighborhood. Approximately 130 police officers will be on duty in Georgetown tonight, including some officers on horseback, said Lieutenant Brian Bray of the Metropolitain Police Department Second District.
MPD also recently added officers to patrol Prospect Street on a permanent basis as a result of neighbor complaints of late night disruption.
According to Bray, two officers have been assigned to walk a foot-beat on Thursday through Saturday nights in an area that stretches between Prospect and P Streets and 32nd and 37th Streets.
Ideally, the visibility of these officers will decrease the loud noise and disorderly conduct of pedestrians from the bars and local parties, Bray said.
“This is a deterrent more than anything,” Bray said.
University safety concerns have become more relevant due to the local sniper attacks and the shootings by a student at the University of Arizona.
During the sniper attacks there were mulitiple meetings per week between the administration and student representatives.
The visibility of Department of Public Safety officers was increased on campus, as well as at off-campus athletic events, according to Vice President for Student Affairs Juan Gonzalez.
Although DPS is no longer sending officers to off-campus sporting events, increased visibility on campus remains a priority, said DPS Chief William Tucker.
“It will probably stay that way,” said Tucker.
The proximity of the sniper shootings and the randomness of the targets forced the administration to look carefully at its plans in the event that a shooting took place on or near campus.
“As part of the University’s emergency response team, I can tell you that there are measures in place to help the University prepare for and be able to respond to various kinds of emergencies that may happen on or impact campus,” said Assistant Vice President for Communications Julie Green Bataille.
The recent sniper attacks aside, safety has been a topic of discussion this year due to the institution of a 24-hour lockdown policy on campus. Under the new policy, access to dormitories is limited to residents of the building. The Georgetown University Student Association and the Club Union have voiced their dissent to this policy and are in the process of helping the administration find an alternative.
In a Town Hall meeting Wednesday night, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson and Director of Housing Operations Bob Robinson announced that the administration is about 99 percent certain that a 24-hour guard system will be put in place by early January.
Under a 24-hour guard system, DPS would continue to hire student guards during the day, with professionals working shifts from around 12 a.m. to 8 a.m.
Robinson said the administration plans to start looking into various contract companies next week, due to progress made in the past few weeks.
