University Hosts Public Safety Conference
Photo courtesy Patrick G. Ryan/The Catholic University of America
By Patrick D. Lewis
Business executives, government officials, public safety leaders, and university leadership from across the D.C. area came to campus on Tuesday, July 9, to attend the first session of the Potomac Conference, a series of discussions between regional partners in the private sector, government, and institutes of higher learning.
Focused on public safety in Washington and the surrounding region, the conference was presented by the Greater Washington Board of Trade, Greater Washington Partnership, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, and Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area. It was sponsored by AT&T and the Washington Business Journal and was hosted by The Catholic University of America in Heritage Hall.
The keynote address was given by Acting Associate U.S. Attorney General Benjamin Mizer, the third-highest ranking official in the Department of Justice. Mizer spoke about regional collaboration and youth intervention programs working to cut down on crime.
“Today’s discussion could not be timelier,” Mizer said. “We are at a critical turning point in community safety.” Mr. Mizer contrasted the good news that violent crime is dropping nationwide with the more sobering fact that gunshot wounds are now the leading cause of death for minors in the United States. To help solve this, the DOJ has provided over $4 million in youth violence intervention programs and victim services funding to the District of Columbia.
Throughout the event, speakers discussed the delicate balance between where crime trends actually are as shown by data analysis and the public’s perception of crime, two vital metrics that often differ from or even oppose each other.
Hanna Love, a Fellow at Brookings Metro, presented an analysis of crime trends in the region as well as trends in the public’s opinion on crime. In a poll earlier this year, 65% of D.C. residents said their crime fears are “extremely serious” compared to 54% last year. This is despite Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) data that shows overall crime in D.C. is down 17% and violent crime is down 29% when compared to 2023. Tragically, only 23% of D.C. residents say they feel safe in their neighborhood.
In 2023, the District experienced a major rise in carjackings and armed robberies, two crime types that are down by over 50% this year thanks to increased police enforcement and new, innovative techniques like the Real Time Crime Center.
Love says one of the biggest drivers of crime in D.C. right now are juvenile offenders. 41% of D.C. Public School students were truant in the 2022-23 school year. This is another reason youth intervention and diversion programs are especially necessary in the Nation’s Capital. Another major factor is homelessness and lack of income-based housing. This isn’t unique to D.C. – homelessness rose 12% last year nationwide.
A panel discussion with Elliott Ferguson, President and CEO of Destination DC, the city’s tourism bureau, Pamela A. Smith, Washington D.C. Chief of Police, Michael Anzallo, Chief of the Metro Transit Police Department, and CUA President Dr. Peter Kilpatrick, discussed responses to continued crime rates and public fears.
Chief Smith pointed to her department’s statistics that show carjackings are down 47% and robberies down 31% from 2023 to 2024 as evidence that the city is moving in the right direction. She credited the public for doing a lot to contribute to making the city safer. President Kilpatrick echoed her sentiment, saying, “When the entire community comes together… I think really good things happen.”
Chief Anzallo said crime in his jurisdiction, the WMATA Metro system, is also improving, with a 29% systemwide decrease this year compared to last year. MTPD has massively increased the number of security cameras and has hired dozens of Special Police Officers to complement their regular officers.
The conference comes as questions about security on CUA’s campus itself remain in the wake of the 2023 on-campus murder of Maxwell Emerson, several homicides and non-fatal shootings just off campus since then, and the murder of 14-year old Avion Evans on the platform of the Brookland-CUA Metro station last April.
More recently, MPD has reported a rash of car break-ins just off campus. MPD data for the past month shows 10 reports of “Theft From Auto” on streets bordering campus, as well as 5 burglaries and motor vehicle thefts on Monroe Street. Several of these break-ins have occurred in broad daylight in the National Shrine’s parking lot. Police reports say, in some instances, over $1000 in stolen property and damage to vehicles has occurred.
