Claustrophobic witness forces outdoor hearing for thousands on high-crime street
D.C. police Officer Charles Davis (Photo: Jamey Temkin, Washington Post)
For more than two weeks, officers across Washington, D.C. have heard about hundreds of complaints alleging foul play from people who have lived on the streets of the District since the 1970s, when the city’s public housing system became a popular place for homeless people.
About two months ago, police o더킹카지노pened three investigations into complaints that have since been dropped. A few months later, a fourth case — the third by a D.C. resident — also was closed without charges.
These stories have attracted public scrutiny in the city, where more than 75 complaints are made about crime each year, with many of the people alleging violence and criminal mischief.
More and more, the claims that have surfaced have raised concerns about how D.C. police investigate such cases.
Many city workers have expressed confusion about how the city defines public housing, making it difficult for the police to investigate these complaints or do a thorough investigation, says D.C. Councilmember Phil Mendelson (D-Ward 4).
«I don’t know how to explain why we keep closing all these reports,» said Mendelson, who says this year the city has investigated 27 public housing cases in his district. «We have no idea how they’re being handled because we don’t seem to have a clear definition of public housing.»
According to city rules and regulations, 우리카지노police officers must issue a citation to residents within 72 hours after filing a complaint if they think it is relevant to a potential crime or to the welfare or safety of the residents involved.
However, police say they can’t act on these reports until it’s determined whether charges have been filed. The city’s code defines public housing as a section of housing operated for affordable housing rather than profit; it does not specify whether that means the residents are deemed homeless or not.
Residents typically don’t see police unless a potential crime is suspected but don’t report it, says David Johnson, an assistant police chief.
After the first couple of years there was «a real problem that the community wasn’t ready to see these officers going into homes and doing the work, and police aren’t ready to do that,» says Johnson, adding that the code enforc바카라ement division needs more officers trained to handle these type of complaints.
But Johnson says that «what we’re doing is making sure we’re putting some police officer
