Lanier Acts to Stymie Summer Violence, but It Comes Calling Early

D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier is putting all 3,300 sworn officers on overtime this weekend, adding foot patrols and expanding the city's network of surveillance cameras in hopes of preventing the usual wave of violence that comes in summer months -- but officers already are playing catch-up in many city neighborhoods.

In her first year on the job, Lanier has vowed to be smart and proactive in fighting crime, particularly in the busy summertime. She and her commanders have spent weeks looking at trends and mapping strategies. But before the plans were put in place, the number of homicides picked up with several slayings this past weekend, including one of a 13-year-old. As Lanier said Sunday, "Summer caught us a week early."

The chief had her research staff compile crime data going back five years, down to the block, looking at various types of crimes and when they were most likely to occur. The department has used that research to predict where criminals are most apt to strike this summer -- and make sure police are there to stop them.

More police officers will be walking beats east of the Anacostia River in the early morning. Patrols will pick up along the Southwest waterfront nightclub district, the scene of a recent killing. And in the Georgetown area, where a British activist was killed in a robbery last summer, a new squad on scooters will race to problem areas.

Police are also expanding their network of neighborhood surveillance cameras, adding five this week and 24 by the end of June, for a total of 72 across the city.

"It's time to stop letting the criminals outsmart us," Lanier said. "We've turned this into a thinking game."

Heading into summer, the number of homicides this year is up significantly: 74, compared with 64 at this point last year. One of the most recent victims, Terry Cutchin, 13, was slain Saturday night on the same block in Columbia Heights where a teenage girl was shot the previous night. The night Cutchin was killed, police sent a cruiser from the area to Southeast Washington, where a woman drove a car into a street festival, injuring dozens.

Recent summers have brought surges not only in homicides but also robberies, car thefts and gang activity. Lanier's predecessor, Charles H. Ramsey, declared "crime emergencies" in three of the past four summers, a move that gave him more flexibility in changing officers' schedules and ordering them to work overtime.

Ramsey had said the tactics last summer led to a drop in robberies and other crimes, but those boasts could be in doubt: Officials revealed Friday, in response to inquiries from The Washington Post, that a review of crime statistics showed that robberies and other violence rose in the city last year -- not dropped, as police had reported.

Lanier said she is hoping to bring down crime this summer without declaring an emergency -- an approach she says will save money and boost morale. The extra police coverage that Ramsey ordered cost the department about $14 million in overtime last year. Even though officers were making more money, they were not happy about it: They complained about the long weeks and the loss of summer vacations.

Overtime is hardly out of the picture, however. Lanier is making all of the force's 3,300 sworn officers work longer hours this weekend to give the summer crime-fighting program a jump-start. They will work a pair of 12-hour shifts -- costing $1.3 million in overtime.

"It signifies our shift in tempo for the summer," she said.