POLICE: Commander Says More Officers Will Be Patrolling Neighborhoods

Thomas E. McGuire, the commander of D.C.'s First Police District, has pledged a new kind of community policing, expressing hope for a better future for the residents in Ward 6.

At a meeting last Thursday at the District Police Headquarters, Commander McGuire assured Council Member Sharon Ambrose (Ward 6) and the residents she represents that, under his command and with the new Police Service Area (PSA) boundaries, officers will be more responsive, more responsible and more visible.

The new boundaries are scheduled to take effect on Monday. The Corner Forum area, formerly in PSA 511, in the Fifth District, will be in the new PSA 103, in the First District.

Commander McGuire, who has led the First District for the last two years, said he will assign more officers to patrol neighborhoods on foot, on bike and on motor scooters. "It's part of effort to get into the community," McGuire told dozens of community leaders and neighborhood coordinators who packed the community meeting room at the District Headquarters. He said he would also strengthen Focused Mission Teams, to fight drug activities and car thefts.

Council Member Ambrose, who requested the meeting, praised Ward 6 residents for their strong community involvement in challenging and modifying the new PSA boundaries. She also expressed some concerns to the commander that the new PSAs would divide natural and traditional neighborhoods, and that officers might be reluctant to attend different neighborhood meetings within the same PSA. Commander McQuire pledged, "We are going to attend the community meetings as requested."

Commander McQuire informed the residents that the 71 police officers who are currently patrolling the immediate neighborhoods of the Corner Forum readership area under the jurisdiction of Fifth District will all be transferred to First District, but many of them will still patrol the same community they are already familiar with. For example, Lt. Renato Caldwell, who heads the police force for the old PSA 511, will be in charge of the new PSA 103. He will have 40 officers and roughly seven sergeants under his leadership.

Commander Thomas McGuire himself will have 393 lieutenants, sergeants and officers under his command. However, a whopping 18 percent — including those with limited duty status, on extended sick leave, suspended with pay and without pay, family medical leave and military leave — are not serving full duty.

When I pressed whether there would be an increase or decrease of police force per capita or per square miles under the new PSA scheme, Commander McGuire responded, "We will have the right number of people to patrol our streets according to the model the creation of the new PSAs was based on. " §