On Tuesday night, January 30, 2007, Councilmember Tommy Wells walked the streets and alleys of neighborhoods in Southwest DC with the Southwest Action Team (SWAT), Metropolitan Police Department 1D Commander Diane Groomes and nearly 70 residents to highlight public safety concerns in and around many of the development projects taking place around the Waterside Mall.

“With crime and public safety clearly on the minds of Ward 6, it is incredibly important that my office, MPD, and community groups like SWAT work together to root out crime at its source and find ways to work together to increase public safety for our residents,” commented Mr. Wells.

After the hour and a half Community Security Walk, residents bundled in coats and scarves warmed up with a brainstorming session at the Westminster Presbyterian Church to develop strategies to engage public safety officials, private developers and community partners in increasing public safety during the rapid development that is taking place in Southwest DC. Before the session began, Mr. Wells gave a charge to the group, “I’m looking for the people in this room tonight to come up with a list of suggestions that we can explore. These can be everything from increased lighting on 3rd Street, SW to recruiting an outdoor coffee shop near the Metro station to keep more people outdoors and create a safer environment.”

Councilmember Wells is also a sponsor of the upcoming 1D Citizens Crime Summit at Mt. Moriah Baptist Church this Saturday, February 3rd. The summit will focus on bringing community leaders together with representatives from MPD, several DC agencies, District courts and more to explore strategic and specific recommendations on the legislative, judicial, and policing front to improve public safety throughout Ward 6. “Working together with our community and public leaders we can make a bigger dent in reducing the crime in our communities,” added Wells.

###