D.C. Tries to Combat Fear of Crime

Residents Enjoy Festivities but Express Skepticism About Commitment

Tyrone Cowan held plastic bags filled with footballs, Frisbees and other goodies that his four sons had gathered at the District's kickoff National Night Out event yesterday near his home in the Barry Farm public housing complex in Southeast Washington.

Cowan, 28, held the loot while his boys enjoyed the moon bounce, free from fear of the violence or criminal activity that often plagues their streets. He was glad to see so many police officers and city officials, but they all seemed a bit like Santa Claus -- because, he said, they show up only once a year.

"There are four seasons in a year, and they only do this in one, the summertime," Cowan said. "Police ain't around here unless somebody gets shot."

Reaching residents such as Cowan continues to be a key challenge for D.C. police officials and Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D).

Last night, the District coordinated its National Night Out festivities, part of a nationwide crime-fighting effort, with its ongoing push to reduce crime and improve relations between police and residents. At midnight, the police department wrapped up its third and final All Hands on Deck initiative, a 48-hour period in which all officers worked 12-hour shifts to help make arrests and to connect with residents.

"It's time we start realizing that there is more to public safety than being police and locking people up," Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said in an interview.

Despite last night's efforts, the city's violent side was on display, with three shootings reported in separate incidents about 8:30 p.m. Four people, including three teenagers, were shot in the three incidents in Southeast. Police said the three incidents were not related, and none of the wounds was believed to be life-threatening.

During the first two All Hands on Deck initiatives, in early June and late last month, police made almost 1,100 arrests. Arrest totals were not available for the period that ended last night.

"Every time I take a violent criminal off the street, the city is safer," Lanier said.

But success is not just about statistics, Lanier and Fenty said, adding that they would also judge their performance on how safe residents feel.

"I have to judge our progress on soft measures, the opinion of the people," Lanier said.

Council member Kwame R. Brown (D-At Large) said that police seem to be more visible and accessible but that they have a way to go.

"People say they can't see the police out every night," Brown said. "We should look at this as an everyday event."

Shakira Hawkins, 28, said last night that she got tired of waiting to feel safe and moved to Waldorf last year with her 5-year-old son, Jordan, fleeing drug dealing and daytime shootings in the Anacostia area.

She said that when she returns to the District, she doesn't see officers much until someone is shot or killed. And then, she said, the police presence lasts only "a week or two, until things calm down."

"You see them there more after somebody gets killed," Hawkins said. "Other than that, you see them once a day."

Staff writer Allison Klein contributed to this report.