Results tagged “chieframsey”

Former D.C. Police Chief Charles Ramsey has been named police commissioner of Philadelphia by Mayor-elect Michael Nutter, reports the Associated Press. Ramsey came to D.C. in 1998 after serving for 31 years in his hometown of Chicago, and became Washington's longest-serving police chief in more than three decades, serving as top cop in the District until the end of 2006, when he was replaced by incoming Mayor Adrian Fenty. Since we've had a little bit...

Good morning, Washington. Remember that recent weird burglary at Ward 8 Council member Marion Barry's house -- the one that Barry seemingly didn't want investigated in favor of telling the police they had more important things to do? Well, Harry Jaffe got hold of the police report, and it turns out Barry may have had good reason not to want it looked at it too closely. Apparently the former mayor had a large collection of...

Good morning, Washington, and welcome to September. After what was quite possibly the most beautiful weekend in the history of late summer weather in this city, we've finally arrived at the date many of us still associate with "back-to-school" -- the Tuesday after Labor Day. So sharpen your pencils, polish your lunchbox and make sure you have the right Trapper Keeper as we check out today's headlines. At Least Four Weekend Killings: The Examiner...

Despite the brightly shining sun and lovely breeze currently making its way through downtown Washington, you might want to bring along an umbrella today -- CapitalWeather.com is predicting a 60 percent chance of showers and possible thunderstorms later this afternoon. But don't think of it as an inconvenience. Think of it as a chance to gleefully splash in puddles just like you did when you were young -- you know, like the last time we...

Good morning, Washington. We hope you had a safe weekend and were able to enjoy the cooler weather on Sunday thanks to the rain brought in by remnants of Tropical Storm Barry. The respite from the heat, which looks like it may last through Wednesday, is one of the few things we can find to be upbeat about as we go over today's headlines. As you've already heard, Tonya Bell, a 30-year-old woman from Oxon...

Good morning, Washington. We hope you had as pleasant a weekend as we had, running around in that gorgeous warm sunlight and forgetting you ever complained about the weather in this city in the first place. Not even the threat of rain later this week, nor the mess of traffic on Saturday night that resulted from what was reportedly the least fun White House Correspondents' Dinner ever, could ruin our overall improved moods. Seasonal affective...

Ramsey's Legacy Pondered: The Post has a front page story this morning mulling over exactly how outgoing Police Chief Ramsey will be remembered as he leaves his post. Often criticized for emphasizing public relations and merely reacting to crime issues instead of thinking ahead, but undeniably praised for bringing order to a corrupt department and out-of-control crime situation, council member Kathy Patterson (D-Ward 3) probably assessed Ramsey's overall performance most accurately: "very mixed." Ford's...

Some seriously grim news from MPD to help put an end to your holly jolly holiday spirit. NBC4 is reporting that there were a total of five shootings in the District last night, at least three of which resulted in fatalities. None of the shootings were related, and took place in various corners of the District — including Park Rd. NW, Crittenden St., V Street NW, Butler St. SE, and Birney Pl. SE.

Happy day before Thanksgiving, everyone. The holiday weekend isn't getting off to the most auspicious start here at DCist, since our browser keeps crashing before we get a chance to save our work, thus the lateness of the usual morning roundup. But really we feel worse for those of you about to head out of town today, whether by car, plane, bus or train, everyone seems to be predicting the worst holiday travel day in...

Batten down the hatches, Washington. Proving that no good spell of weather goes unpunished, we've now got some major storms headed our way. Two separate storm lines, to be precise, are barreling down on the metro area as we speak, the first having just begun, and the second, more powerful system, expected between noon and 5 p.m. With winds at 30 mph, we'd suggest upgrading your umbrella to something more than cheap and crappy. District...

There's certainly more to worry about on the crime front today, as the Post points out in its recent story. Four murders, including those of three juveniles, occurred in the District over the last 24 hours.

The bloody spurt comes two months after D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey declared a crime emergency, and three weeks after the chief cut back on overtime patrols, saying the recent spate of violence had begun to taper off. The crime emergency was triggered by the slayings of 13 people -- including a 16-year-old -- during the first 11 days of July. Ramsey said he acted in part because the number of juveniles being arrested for robbery in the city had risen sharply from the previous year. In addition to increased patrols that required six-day work weeks for police officers, the emergency measures included moving the curfew for youths 16 and under from midnight to 10 p.m. The curfew has been extended at least though Thursday. But earlier this month, Ramsey said overall crime had dropped 11 percent since the emergency was declared, and said he would now require the six-day schedules only every other week.

The District has been posting detailed weekly crime statistics ever since the Crime Emergency was declared on July 12, which compare the emergency period with the same time last year. Figures for last week are not yet available, and to be sure they don't include these recent killings, but overall the picture Chief Ramsey painted when he eased off the emergency measures three weeks ago was accurate. Violent crimes like homicides, assaults and robberies are significantly lower for the period between July 12 and Sept. 17 this year than in 2005. Reports of sex abuse are up slightly and burglaries are up as well for the same period, but looking at the numbers across the board, it's difficult to fault Chief Ramsey for reducing the amount of forced overtime his officers had been working since July.

[D.C. Police Chief] Ramsey rejected the swim permit for the triathlon after the D.C. Department of the Environment raised concerns about the level of human waste dumped into the river after it rains. Officials say the water is safe some days but registered far above EPA limits for human fecal matter on other days. Triathlon organizer Charles Brodsky says his group has tested the water every six days and found it safe. But city officials say those tests were flawed.

You're truly a king among men, Chief Ramsey. While participants are no doubt bummed with the news, not swimming in a steaming river of human feces sounds a-ok with us.

Good morning, wet Washington. It does appear that we can expect a few more showers this morning, but after that it should dry out for the rest of the week, leaving us all in what ought to be more cheerful dispositions were it not for this disturbing news: It seems that more and more bass in and around the Potomac have been discovered to possess both male and female sex organs, leading scientists to express...

Almost a month into the District's crime emergency, a stricter curfew is in place, surveillance cameras are being installed, and more police are working longer hours on city streets. But is the additional show of force being efficiently applied? Maybe not. One resident explained their grief with the beefed up police presence in today's edition of D.C. Watch's online newsletter, The Mail. Describing a recent experience on U Street, she wrote: By now, if you...

Hey there, Washington. How was your weekend? Ours was OK. Yeah, just OK. Oh sure, we're fine. We guess we're just a little troubled by some of today's headlines. As if the looming Heat Emergency, which has given us a Code Orange Air Quality day today and will place the heat index close to 110 through much of the week, wasn't disturbing enough, we alse read in the Examiner that the growth of online news readers nationwide has plateaued. According to a study by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, about three in 10 adults, or 31 percent, regularly read news online, which is roughly the same as two years ago. Wait a minute. DCist began almost exactly 2 years ago. Suddenly it all makes sense! DCist is such a force to be reckoned with in the online news community, we've actually swallowed all of the growth of the Internet over the last 2 years. Who would have thought? Well this changes everything. Here's a special shoutout to all of our loyal readers who made this day possible.

Good morning Washington, and welcome to the second full day of this summer's Crime Emergency. Feel safer yet? No? Well, give it a few weeks. It'll still be a little while before the city collectively re-loses interest in its crime problem. But for now, there's some excellent coverage in the area media — and perhaps unsurprisingly, the Post is leading the way. July's Murders Examined: Although the deaths of Alan Senitt and Chris Crowder have pushed the city into action, theirs were far from the first lives lost during this disturbingly violent summer. Today's Post spends nearly 3,000 words examining the lives and deaths of the fourteen murder victims that have been lost (as of this writing) in the city during July. Although some of the accounts are short on details, it's heartening to see the recent violence examined in a context that extends beyond Georgetown. Officials Warn There's No Quick Fix: As one might expect, the immediate substantive reactions to the uproar over crime have been changes in how police are deployed throughout the city: yesterday the city council allocated $31.5 million for new officers, and the U.S. Park Police announced changes to its patrol schedules aimed at making the Mall safer. However, there are indications that these measures may not be the magic bullet we'd all like. Police Chief Ramsey is warning that it may take years for the allocated funds to be fully converted into police officers. And WTOP reports that the Park Police's recent failures may have more to do with systematic understaffing rather than merely an inefficient patrol pattern — a problem that former Park Police Chief Teresa Chambers was fired for pointing out. Stadium Parking Found: The Post reports that stadium planners think they've come up with a solution to their looming parking problem. You might remember a recent controversy over whether the stadium's garages would be above or below ground. That issue was resolved with a simple non-decision ("both!"), but it only opened enough spaces for the ticketholders with the deepest pockets. But what about us plebes? Well, apparently 9,000 more spaces have been located for the unwashed masses. However, they're spread out over many sites, some are quite far from the stadium, a third are currently in private hands, and many are served by insufficient streets. Briefly Noted: Officer apologizes for racially-charged comment... Chief Ramsey asks feds for help getting max sentences for offenders... NBC4 discovers Craigslist, makes a graphic for it... FCC sends Comcast and MASN to binding arbitration... This Day In DCist: We interviewed the very talented RPM (Restoring Poetry in Music), discussed the best places to eat on Bastille Day (Happy B-Day all, by the way), and looked at the latest political news surrounding voting rights and stadium financing. Image posted to DCist Photos by Flickr user llemanie

Discussion of recent crime activity continues today, but not in an encouraging way. The Post focuses on Chief Ramsey's comments yesterday, which noted that criminals are increasingly leaving their own neighborhoods and coming to wealthier places in the city, including areas of the National Mall. Ramsey says this is new and striking behavior, but it's hard to imagine that no one saw this coming. Luckily for Ramsey, the mayor is back and ready to begin...

There is no doubt that the crimes which have taken place in the District over the past few days are distressing. They are upsetting in the details of their commission, for the circumstances of the assailants and their victims, and because the conditions of life in communities across the country make such crimes a probabilistic inevitability. We should all be shocked by homicide, no matter where or how it occurs. It is a sign of...

D.C. Police Chief Declares Crime Emergency: You heard right. Police Chief Ramsey has officially declared a Crime Emergency for the District, which in practical terms means he now has greater authority to change police officer's schedules in order to increase manpower on the street without the 14-day notice typically required by the union. With 13 murders since the first of this month, many residents are upset and demanding action. The Post notes that the number of murders in the city so far this year, 94, is the exact same number we had this time last year — though robberies are up 14%. DCist definitely noticed a lot more patrol cars last night in N.W., which is we guess is never a bad thing — though the Post also quotes Officer Kristopher Baumann's concerns that officers will only be further demoralized by not receiving overtime pay — so maybe it's sometimes a bad thing. Our Crime Emergency status will continue for at least the next 30 days, when Ramsey will reevaluate.

Immigration News: The Post reports that yesterday thousands gathered outside the Capitol building to protest legislation that could potentially authorize prosecution of social service workers, doctors, and others who assist illegal immigrants. A protest spokesperson estimated that 20,000 people showed up to the rally. The original House bill was sponsored by Representatives from Wisconsin and New York, but issues surrounding immigration are locally pertinent. The Post also looks today at a Brookings Institution study...

Good morning, Washington. As you've probably heard, a commuter train derailed yesterday in Prince William County. Impressively, VRE says that its trains will return to a full schedule today. Riders were initially warned to expect delays as long as forty minutes, but it now looks like things are more or less back to normal. Agreement Reached On Howard Hospital: Mayor Williams and Howard University President H. Patrick Swygert have reached an agreement surrounding the...

Close to 200 people gathered last night in the auditorium of the Shaw Junior High School along Rhode Island Avenue NW for a townhall meeting titled "Save DC Gun Safety Laws: Why Congress Should Leave These DC Laws to DC Residents & Elected Officials." Attended by D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Chief Ramsey, pictured at right, the meeting focused on the repeated attempts by Congress to overturn the District's restrictive three-decade...

Good morning Washington. Today will be a hot and sticky one: mostly cloudy, with showers and thunderstorms likely all day, and temps in the 80s. Capital Weather says we should expect to "stay in the soup for the next couple of days." Patrick from DCBlogs posted this photo to DCist photos.

WTOP is reporting that D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams has not decided whether he will sign the "First Amendment Rights and Police Standards Act of 2004" which was passed by a 12-1 vote in the D.C. Council last year. Art Spitzer of the American Civil Liberties Union said, "It's not unusual for the mayor to take full time with a bill. I understand he's been ill -- maybe that stuff's been pushed back on his...