Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier announced today the implementation of a new crime prevention initiative launched in the Trinidad neighborhood. The announcement coincides with the Final Phase of All Hands on Deck 2008 which began Thursday, December 18 and ends on the evening of Saturday, December 20, 2008.

The new initiative, called Safe City, will include a network of closed circuit television cameras, new youth program funding at the Joseph Cole and Trinidad Recreation Centers and several other public safety strategies. As part of the initiative, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) will place nearly 30 video cameras on street corners in the Ward Five neighborhood. The cameras will be linked to a state of the art radio network at MPD which will allow officers to monitor multiple cameras in real time.
More than twenty cities are participating in the program, including: Baltimore, MD, Boston, MA and Compton, CA and Denver, CO. The program is made possible through the generous support of the Police Foundation, Target Corporation, and Sprint/Nextel.

"The new Safe City initiative is an ideal complement to the fifth All Hands on Deck of 2008," said Mayor Fenty. "These effective policing strategies will continue their momentum into the New Year as we strengthen and modernize our efforts to reduce violent crime, get guns off the streets, and build community relations in Trinidad."
"This is a prime example of law enforcement working with the community to address their needs. It is a partnership of law enforcement, government and business that will help reduce crime in Trinidad," said Chief Lanier.

MPD will install the cameras in two phases. Five to seven cameras will be installed in phase one at a cost of approximately $260,000. Twenty cameras will be installed in phase two at a cost of approximately $500,000 upon the receipt of additional funding to be raised by the DC Police Foundation in 2009.

Also, as part of the Safe City initiative, Trinidad residents will be provided a cell phone programmed only to call 911. Two-hundred cell phones will be given to block captains, ANC Commissioners and residents as part of the Live Link Cell Phone Program. The program will give residents who would not otherwise have access to a cell phone a direct link to request 911 Police and Fire emergency services. The Live Link Cell Phone Program is provided by Sprint Nextel at no cost.
For more on the Safe City program, including information on the application process, visit www.mysafecity.com.

During AHOD, officers will hand out literature promoting another initiative called "No Shots Fired," which encourages youth to have a peaceful gunfire-free weekend. MPD members will encourage residents to use various tip lines to contact police if they have information about crimes.

For AHOD, all available sworn MPD personnel will be on patrol throughout the District emphasizing community policing, focused law enforcement and community outreach. This will include increased foot beats, homicide detectives following up with victims, and recruits passing out specific crime related information.
The Metropolitan Police Department offers a reward of up to $25,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for any unsolved homicide committed in the District of Columbia.

The MPD is reminding residents, or anyone else who may know of a robbery that occurred in the District, that the MPD offers a reward of up to $10,000 to anyone who provides information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for any armed robbery or a robbery that results in serious bodily injury.
Anyone who has information about a crime may call police at (202) 727-9099 or 1-888-919-CRIM[E]