CAC public safety meeting on September 17th

Ron Austin, the Chairman of the Citizen's Advisory Council for MPD's Fourth District, sent me a note that the CAC is meeting on Thursday, September 17th at 7pm to discuss crime and public safety issues with the community and MPD. The meeting, like all 4D CAC meetings, will be at the 4D headquarters at 6001 Georgia Avenue NW.

No special guests, just MPD 4D leadership will be on-hand to take your questions, listen to your concerns and address recent issues.

From the CAC flyer:

Please join us for this month’s Citizen’s Advisory Council meeting on Thursday, September 17, 7:00 PM at 4D headquarters, 6001 Georgia Avenue, NW. This meeting will have no guest speaker. In light of the recent spike in crime, especially violent crime, it was felt that a meeting solely devoted to public safety was appropriate. It is our hope that this meeting will be different from other recent events. At this meeting members of MPD will be on hand to hear your issues and concerns and at the end, we hope to establish an action plan with measurable goals and milestones that will be revisited regularly for review and where necessary, adjustment. (Download a PDF of the flyer.)

4D Inspector Parker to become 7D Commander

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Inspector Vendette Parker poses for a selfie with Drew, June 3, 2015

4D substation commander Inspector Vendette Parker is headed off to be the 7th District's newest Commander. Her promotion is effective Sunday. She's going to have a busy workload. 

Inspector Parker has been a great resource for me and has worked hard for the Petworth and Ward 4 community. 

I wish her the best of luck!

Inspector Parker's email is below:

It is bittersweet that I must send this email. Effective Sunday I will take command of the Seventh District. I have really enjoyed my time at the Fourth District. The relationships and partnerships are irreplaceable. I hope that in my short time here, I have had as much of a positive impact on you as you all have had on me. This is not goodbye but instead, until I see you again. 

Inspector Vendette T. Parker, CPM
Fourth District

Neighborhood Watch crime prevention training

If you're interested in learning how to reduce crime -- and not be a victim yourself -- consider attending the next Neighborhood Watch crime prevention training.

The next session will be September 16, 2015 at the Second District police station (3320 Idaho Avenue, NW, 20016) at 7:00 pm. This is a free training open to anyone interested in reducing crime.  Please contact the Citywide Neighborhood Watch Trainer Samantha Nolan if you plan to attend (desserts and materials are prepared based on the number of participants).
 
From Ms. Nolan's email: "If you want to learn ways to prevent crime and reduce your likelihood of becoming a crime victim, please attend the training. You will see pictures of actual crime scenes and learn how to avoid becoming a victim of the crimes. More than 80% of crime in DC is preventable (Crime of Opportunity). By reducing these crimes, the police can concentrate on preventing and solving more violent crimes."
 
If you would like to attend the training, please email Ms Nolan or call 202-244-2620.

A decision on the Riyad Market

While I appreciate the effort any person puts in to start and run a business legitimately, the owner of the Riyad Market, Osman Mohammed, never seemed to want to be a part of the Petworth community or support the neighborhood. The closed up windows, the odd store hours, the off-putting signage and lastly, getting caught selling synthetic drugs. It’s that last one that is the downfall of the Riyad.

The Riyad has been evicted and will be closing its doors in November.

I spoke with Michael Aniton, the DC Assistant Attorney General in charge of the case against the Riyad. “The basis of the eviction case against the Riyad Market was the sale of synthetic drugs. We had detectives prepared to testify to the sale of synthetic drugs and community members prepared to testify to the negative impact that the market has had on the surrounding community.” 

Mr. Mohammed, the owner of the Riyad, has signed a written agreement with the landlord to vacate the property by November 13, 2015. They agreed to resolve the issue in Landlord and Tenant court on Thursday, August 20th. If Mr. Mohammed fails to vacate the property or hand over the keys, or to pay the rent for September and October, the owner can have the U.S. Marshalls carry out the eviction.
 
“The role of the community is extremely important,” Mr. Aniton said. "The community should continue to report any suspicious or illegal activity that they observe at Riyad Market. I would also encourage the community to try to work with the owner of the property to make sure that the next tenant is a good, upstanding business that will bring positive energy to the community.”

I hope the Dudley family (the owners of the building) do bring in a business that will contribute to Petworth. 

Sexual assault reported on Grant Circle

A woman was forcibly sexually assaulted on the unit block of Grant Circle sometime between 2am and 3:50am Monday morning by a man described by MPD as a "black male, 25-35 years old, dark complexion and short haircut. He was observed wearing a white shirt."

MPD thinks it's possible the suspect is an Uber driver, and was driving a white "sports" car with black leather seats. 

Keep your eyes out and be careful.

Anyone who has information regarding this case should call police at 202-727-9099. Additionally, information may be submitted to the TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411.