Enclave Looking To Bolster Security
Area in Manassas Considers Cameras To Monitor Streets

By Christy Goodman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, December 24, 2006

Ruby Jerman won't let her 11-year-old granddaughter go outside to play.

Jerman, 65, has lived with her older brother and a friend in her townhouse in the Georgetown South community for five years. She thinks the Manassas neighborhood, which has a troubled past, is slipping back into what it was about 10 years ago.

"I think it got worse," Jerman said. "We never dreamed there'd be a killing over here. It isn't safe for kids to play outside."

Bernard S. Matthews, 22, was fatally shot in February in front of Jerman's Buckner Road home. Police said the killing was drug-related.

And while overall crime may be down from historic highs, residents say the neighborhood's climate has changed, with loud crowds gathering more often on certain streets. Neighbors report hearing gunshots, witnessing drive-by shootings and drug dealing in broad daylight.

The Georgetown South Community Council is looking to stop that. "We do have 860 houses and over 3,000 people living here. We don't want drug trafficking and that sort of thing happening again," said Hannah Senft, who has lived in the neighborhood for 33 years and has been a longtime community activist. She also is president of the council's board of trustees.

The council's Neighborhood Watch program has fizzled from lack of interest. Police say they are short-staffed and desperate for solutions. The neighborhood has its own security, with two off-duty police officers paid to patrol its streets, and the council has proposed using video cameras as monitors.

But it's not enough, Senft said, and she sees her community falling through the cracks.

Again.

About 9 percent of Manassas's population lives in Georgetown South, but at its worst point in 1993, 20 percent of calls police responded to originated there, said Maj. Don McKinnon, Manassas deputy police chief. Those 11,195 calls in 1993 have declined to 5,800 calls this year, about 10 percent of the total number of police calls, as of Dec. 18, he said.

Crime in Georgetown South has dropped over the past three years, from 703 crimes committed in 2004 to 406 as of Sept. 15, according to the most recent police data. Violent crimes have also decreased, from 155 in 2004 to 109 so far this year.

But Manassas police have responded to more complaints regarding loud groups hanging out in the community than they did last year -- 150 as of Dec. 18 compared with 101 in 2005. Police responded to 415 calls regarding loud groups in 1996, McKinnon said.

"I'm seeing an increase in shots fired or complaints about these individuals that tend to hang on Buckner Road," said Dawn Brown, a Hood Road resident and a member of the Georgetown South Community Council's board. "Before it gets to where someone is hurt, just an innocent bystander, I would like to see them [city and police officials] at least work with us to find some way to resolve it."

Community members recently asked the Manassas City Council about the legality of installing video cameras throughout the neighborhood.

"We don't have a whole lot of money to buy a bunch of cameras, but at the same time, we have to find some way to make things better within the community," Brown said.

This summer the District installed 48 cameras during a crime emergency, a move that came under fire from the American Civil Liberties Union. The cameras are in public areas, and police download images only when they believe a crime has occurred.

"It is usually a trade-off between personal freedoms and security," said Manassas City Council member Steven S. Smith (R), who referred to the idea of cameras on city streets as "Big Brother."

"There are some very, very, very complex constitutional laws and issues at play when you start getting into this area," said Manassas Police Chief John J. Skinner, who noted that nearly every bank and convenience and retail store in the area is outfitted with surveillance cameras.

"Things have improved quite a bit over the years, and we just don't want things to go back to where they were. We see problems in one area and we want to nip it in the bud," said Senft, who added that she will listen to suggestions on how the community can reclaim its streets -- particularly Maury, Buckner, Town and Pickett.

"We haven't been here very long, but the area does have its reputation," said Melissa Ewell, who said she would welcome cameras and additional security.

Ewell, 37, moved a few months ago from a rental on Maury to another on Taney to avoid groups of people loitering on the street late at night.

The Manassas police force does not have the manpower for the coverage the Georgetown South community would like, Skinner said. The department is short about eight positions, or nearly 10 percent of its staff, he said.

"We have competing demands and limited resources. And yes, if I had additional police officers, then the police department could effectively assign more officer presence to Georgetown South and to our other city neighborhoods," he said.

Guillermo Ramos, 22, said that he and his parents have lived on Buckner Street for five years and that extra security is needed. "The camera idea is not a bad idea" and would be useful in alleyways and parks, he said.

But the community council says it is having trouble engaging residents. The group has made attempts to invite participation. They have sent out bilingual monthly newsletters to attract people to their meetings, but to no avail, board members said.

"We have to . . . find more creative ways to reach out and bring people in, to get them more involved and maybe get some more solutions," said Kester Kilkenny, who moved to Byrd Drive about seven months ago and recently joined the council's board. "People that are involved take more pride and interest in what is going on and I think that is the beginning to making things even better."

The Neighborhood Services Coordinator for Manassas, Kisha Wilson-Sogunro, said she will help those in Georgetown South link with other homeowner organizations in the city to learn new ways of attracting and involving the diverse community, among other ideas.

"At this point I think there are a lot of good qualities we can focus on without a camera," said Wilson-Sogunro, who noted that cameras sometimes foster a negative perception about a neighborhood. "This is where you have to give them credit. They are tapping every resource and turning over every rock. . . . At least it is action."