Facing what one lawmaker calls a “red-hot” surge in gun violence in Northwest Washington, District of Columbia officials announced Thursday that police will install gunshot location technology in Northwest Washington and beef up its gang-intervention units.
Mayor Adrian Fenty and D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier have been trying to come up with new ways to attack old crime problems that appear to be on the rise.
The number of homicides is up 11 percent from last year, and last week the District’s homicide total surpassed the total homicides in the District for all of 2006.
“We’ve had some low days since October 1, but this is an up day,” said Councilman Jim Graham, who has described the rash of shootings in Columbia Heights and along Georgia Avenue Northwest as the worst in a decade.
Police have identified seven crews in the Third Police District, four of which are driving the violence, Graham said.
In the last two months, there have been 100 shootings, two homicides and 11 people wounded by gunfire in the 3D neighborhood, including one man who has been shot twice since Halloween, Graham said.
The District will spend $1.8 million to expand the Shotspotter system from east of the Anacostia River to the west part of the District.
The sonar technology helps police pinpoint the exact location of a gunfire in a matter of seconds and was used to arrest a gunman who was walking away after a man was shot and killed while working in his yard, authorities said.
The District will also allocate $1.2 million to expand the Hispanic-gang unit to target African-American crews in 3D.
Lanier said the department will centralize the gang unit into one command center instead of having the officers dispersed around the city.
