DC Council committee holds public hearing on 3 public safety bills
WASHINGTON (7News) — As crime continues soaring, the D.C. Council's Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety heard feedback from the community on three public safety bills Monday.
The council and the public discussed the following three bills:
- Improving Safety and Emergency Response on Transit Corridors Act of 2023, which would establish a two-year demonstration program during which the city will install emergency communication and video surveillance systems at public transit stations across the city.
- Safe Commercial Corridors Amendment Act of 2023, which would allow the Deputy Mayor of Public Safety and Justice to provide grants to business districts so they can implement public safety solutions.
- Whole Government Response to Crime Act of 2023, which would require the mayor to collect and publish firearm tracing data, requires the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement to study the effectiveness of violence reduction programs, establish a Victim Services Coordinator within the Office of Victim Services, create a 911 System Improvement Task Force to study the effectiveness of the Office of Unified Communications 911 system, among other measures
During the hearing, the committee heard from both in-person and virtual witnesses.
The bills call for more safety patrols in business districts to fight crime and require the mayor's office to trace and release firearm data and evaluate the effectiveness of violence interrupters.
One witness had little praise for the legislation.
"This really doesn't go far enough, we need system change, we need a whole new approach to our public safety system because D.C. is an outlier among almost every other city in the country right now in terms of our violent crimes," Roger Marmet said during the hearing.
Marmet launched his own nonprofit to fight crime after his son was killed by a stray bullet while driving home from work in Northeast, D.C.
Paul Trantham is the ANC Commissioner of 8B02, which includes the Naylor Gardens, Woodland and Skyland neighborhoods. He told 7News he wants to see more aggressive measures to get guns off the street.
I get so sick of people calling me, crying on the phone, telling me, 'My child just died,'" Trantham said. "Get these guns off the streets immediately. Not tomorrow, today, tonight. Find out how these youths are obtaining these guns.
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7News obtained MPD data that shows total crime in D.C. is up 29 % and violent crime has spiked by 40 % compared to the same time last year.
Monday's public hearing came just days after Mayor Muriel Bowser announced she was launching a Real-Time Crime Center, which will allow MPD to collaborate with local, regional and federal law enforcement agencies so they can monitor security camera footage and other data to respond to crime.
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"These agencies will work in collaboration with MPD to monitor and analyze data from various sources, including CCTV cameras, emergency calls, and other technology," Bowser said in a press conference Thursday.
Trantham said this is an effort that has been needed for years.
"She's bringing in these other people? Great. We've been needing them. We've been needing them," Trantham said.
The Real-Time Crime Center will launch in February.
In the meantime, Trantham said city leaders need to do more to respond to the short-term public safety needs.
"It makes no sense that we continue to have to be subjected to gun violence, to where people have to imprison themselves in their own house to be safe. Kids can't even go to the playground no more," Trantham said. "We are tired. The city is tired. Families are tired. People that have lost loved ones are tired."