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Articles
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| 1st District have increased foot patrols |
VOICE writes, "
By Amy Doolittle
Officials in the Metropolitan Police Department's 1st District have increased foot patrols by plain-clothed and uniformed officers throughout neighborhoods to guard against a spike in home robberies around the holidays.
First District Cmdr. David Kamperin said the changes began before Thanksgiving and will continue through Christmas and the New Year’s Day.
"When we looked at our crime and projected out we saw that over the holidays and over the fall we would have an increase," he said. "We have increased tactical officers, made some arrests and ... looked at targeting specific times when robberies occur.""
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The majority of robberies happen during the day regardless of the season, Kamperin said, because burglars count on homeowners either being at work or out of town.
Kamperin said his plain-clothed, tactical and foot-patrol officers use a variety of methods to guard against criminals, including keeping handy a sheet past offenders’ photos.
"Officers have pictures of individuals who have recently been released," Kamperin said. "For example, in the [Police Service Area] 102 area, there have been eight arrests for burglaries over past several moths. Six of those [offenders] have since been released so we have their information and if [the officers] see them they'll pay extra attention."
The 1st District had 57 robberies and 72 burglaries in November, many of which were discovered by homeowners after they returned after Thanksgiving. The majority of Thanksgiving robberies occurred in Police Service Area 102 between 4th and 13th streets and F and I streets NE.
Residents can avoid being victimized by taking a few common sense extra steps to protect their homes before going out of town, such as asking a neighbor to keep an eye on their home or removing ladders or tables from the yard that would help a burglar get in, Kamperin said.
Residents can also ask police to do a security assessment on their homes, Kamperin said. Officers can examine a home's doors and locks and make other security suggestions specific to the house.
To schedule an assessment, residents should call 202-698-0505.
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Posted on Dec 13, 2007 04:20am.
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