Click map for enlarged PDF image. The MPD 3rd District includes Logan Circle, Shaw, U Street, Adams Morgan, Mount Pleasant, Columbia Heights and Howard University. Headquarters are at 1620 V Street NW with a substation at 750 Park Road NW. (Image: MPD Web site.)

The news that MPD’s 3rd District was getting a new commander might have received more coverage had it not been for the weekend snowstorm and the ensuing Great Snowball Fight of 14th and U. (New Columbia Heights had a good posting on the 3D changes last week.)

On Sunday, 3D Inspector Jacob Kishter took over as commander of the 3rd District, replacing George Kucik, who was moved to a “future assignment” at the Forensic Sciences Services Division.

As Inspector, Kishter essentially held the number two spot at 3D and was in charge of the Substation in Columbia Heights. Inspector Angel Medina is now commander of the 3D Substation.

Kishter came to 3D in June (replacing Inspector Edward Delgado), after having served as the number two officer in MPD’s internal affairs bureau. He has 19 years with MPD.

Diverse, Small in Area

The 3D is the smallest of the city’s seven police districts in area, but the most densely populated. It has seven Police Service Areas (PSAs) and includes a big chunk of Borderstan with 307 (Logan Circle) and 305 (U Street and Howard University). Other PSAs are 303 (Adams Morgan), 301 (Mount Pleasant), 304 (Columbia Heights), 302 (Columbia Heights-Park View) and 308 (Shaw). In addition, PSA 208 (Dupont Circle) used to be called 306 and was part of 3D.

The 3D includes all of Ward 1 (Jim Graham) and a chunk of Ward 2 (Jack Evans) with PSAs 307 and 308. It includes many of the city’s wealthy and hipster-gentrified areas, with expensive new condo buildings and a huge amount of new commercial development. It also has public housing projects and pockets of poverty. The district is racially diverse and has new residents interspersed with long-time Washingtonians.

In addition, the Logan Circle, U Street, 14th Street and Adams Morgan areas are home to numerous clubs and restaurants that attract people from other neighborhoods and the suburbs.

Crime Stats for 3D

For the year to date (Jan. 1-Dec. 21), the crime stats for 3D show that total crime (violent and property crime) is down 3.5% from last year and the year before. Violent crime is down 13% in two years, while property crime is down less than 1% in two years.

Following a pattern we have seen all year, certain types of crimes are actually up when compared to 2008 or 2007. For example, the number of gun crimes is down 8% from two years ago, but is actually up 12% from last year.

While the number of robberies has decreased due to fewer robberies without a gun this year, the number of robberies with a gun has increased 16% from last year—from 233 to 271.

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• View map of Florida Ave NW & 18th St NW area in Google Maps.

We’re doing something new here with crime statistics at Borderstan. We normally report crime stats for the defined Borderstan crime reporting area.¹ In addition, we sometimes provide stats from Police Service Area (PSA) 208/Dupont and PSA 307/Logan-Shaw.

However, we are going to occasionally pick a different location in the area and show a snapshot of crime trends, using information from the MPD crime database. The first guest-crime-location is 18th Street and Florida Avenue NW, right on the cusp of the Adams Morgan, U Street and Dupont Circle neighborhoods/areas.

Roughly, this circular area runs from 16th Street west to Connecticut Avenue and from R Street north up to Belmont Road.  The stats from the crime database encompass a circular area radiating 1,500 feet (0.28 mile) in all directions from 18th and Florida. The area is in PSA 208 and PSA 303.

Guest blogger Back from Boulder prepared the stats and analysis for Borderstan. Here’s what he found.

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Got this Police Alert last night. There was a robbery-with-gun at 8:51 p.m. at 14th and W Streets NW… a strip with an awfully lot of new condos and restaurants.

It is the number of guns being used in robberies lately that alarms me. Sure, any robbery can result in someone being badly hurt (or killed), but guns add another level of danger. Then there is the time this robbery occurred. This was not the middle of the night. In our area, 8:51 p.m. is prime time for people coming and going to restaurants, grocery stores, the gym, etc.

Would visible foot patrols on 14th and U Streets help… especially in the evening hours? I don’t know, but I have to ask. If you live in that area, what do you think?

Robbery Gun at 14Th W St. NW. 2051hrs. LOF-S1. B/M. 6′. WHITE SHIRT. ARMED WITH DARK HAND GUN, S2. B/M. 5’8″. DREADS. UNKNOWN CLOTHING , S3. WHT HAT. DO NOT TAKE ACTION CALL 911 W/EVENT #i20090529409

Nellie’s Sports Bar, 900 U Street NW. (Photo: Luis Gomez)

The victim of a Saturday-night mugging on the 900 block of U Street NW fought back with the help of two friends and caught the mugger, according to a friend who saw the incident. What ensued for the mugger was not pretty.

It also appears that the police might not have been involved at all. Since this occurred in Police Service Area (PSA) 305, I am asking MPD Third District if they have any additional information.

According to my source,  the incident took place around 11:45 p.m. last night (Saturday the 19th). Three guys were walking along U Street between 9th and 10th Streets NW. Then the mugger appears and apparently accosted and grabbed something from one of the three guys. The three guys chased the mugger eastward on U Street and caught him in front of of Nellie’s Sports Bar at 900 U Street NW.

Here is my friend’s report:

I was a witness as this happened in front of us, along with a friend. Were were standing in line to get into Nellie’s, probably about 100 people. It could have been a little earlier than midnight, 11:45ish? It started approximately half a block west of Nellie’s, ending at the curb directly in front of Nellie’s.

Following the mugging, he and his friends were completely fearless in chasing the mugger on U Street, dodging cars. They knocked the thug to the curb in front of Nellie’s and started some serious punching, then kicking the thug as he cowered in the gutter. Serious beat down.

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Here are recent crimes of note in Police Service Areas (PSAs) 208, 307 and 305 for September 7-12 period in the Dupont Circle, U Street and Logan Circle areas. Crimes of note are stolen autos, burglaries and violent crimes such as robberies and assaults.

There has been a rash of gun robberies over the past few weeks in PSAs 307 and 305 in the area south of U Street between 9th and 14th Streets NW. Last Monday, September 8, PSA 307 officers arrested suspects for two robberies that occurred around 13th and Q NW.

From MPD Third District: “Earlier this evening [September 8] there were two armed robberies of two separate victims in the 1300 block of Q Street NW. The Third District Robbery Tactical unit was patrolling in the area and due to the officer’s swift action arrested the robbery suspects and recovered the handgun that was used during the commission of the crime. As a result of the arrests, other victims will be contacted in efforts to close other area robberies.”

In addition, here is an important note from MPD Third District above safety in numbers on the street… in regard to the second crime listed below (the Robbery-Purse Snatch on September 12): “This is an example of how you cannot always count on safety in numbers. The suspect was brazen enough to snatch the victim’s purse in the presence of multiple friends. When you pass strangers on the street always maintain a good grip on the strap or handle of your bag. If it becomes apparent that the suspect is not going to give up their effort to snatch your bag then release it and yell for help rather than continuing the confrontation.”

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Editor’s note: The following story looks at the experience of Borderstan resident Michael Kremin who was beaten and robbed shortly after midnight on June 21 near his home on Corcoran Street NW. Kremin left a comment about his mugging on an unrelated Borderstan crime posting and we contacted him about the details. After meeting Kremin and obtaining a copy of the police report (details at end of story), Chloe Thompson interviewed Kremin and wrote the following story. Thompson recently graduated with a B.A. in journalism from the University of Rhode Island. She moved to the Washington metro area and is contributing to Borderstan while pursuing an editorial job.

By Chloe Thompson

Michael Kremin was beaten and robbed close to the front door of his house shortly after midnight on a Sunday morning in June. (Photo: Luis Gomez Photos.)

Almost three months after what he refers to as “the incident,” Corcoran Street resident Michael Kremin still refuses to leave his home alone after 9:30 p.m.

The left side of his jaw—broken by muggers during the June 21 robbery—still has no feeling. In addition, Kremin needs regular check ups and is self-conscious about eating. The right cheekbone that was also shattered that night, leaving him bleeding against a nearby parked car, shows little signs of bruising. Still, Kremin reached gingerly to touch it as he told his story.

Kremin’s injuries are the rest of the story of MPD crime report number 09085657. The story begins on Saturday night, June 20, when Kremin and his partner went to a  friend’s house on Wallach Place NW, where Kremin met the other editors of their blog, “Who Murdered Robert Wone?”

Wrapping up a bit after midnight on Sunday morning, Kremin made the four-block trip home to Corcoran Street with his partner, who rode his bicycle. There were also accompanied by a friend on foot. It was a route Kremin had walked “millions of times” since moving to Washington about 20 years ago.

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There was robbery committed with a gun last evening at 10:17 p.m. on the 1300-block of T Street NW. There was also a gun robbery on Monday evening around the same time on the 1200-block of S Street NW.

Got this DC Police Alert last evening: “Robbery (Gun)_2217 hours_1300 Block T Street, NW_Lookout for suspect (1) B/M, 5’10″, wearing dark sweat shirt, suspect (2) med complextion, 5’6″.  DO NOT TAKE ACTION CALL 911 W/EVENT #20090490517. Sent on: 09/03 22:25″

The MPD Third District. East Borderstan is part of PSA 307. (Image: MPD Web site.)

Here are some “crimes of note” as I call them from Police Service Area (PSA) 307 (primarily the Logan Circle area). Crimes of note by my definition include robberies, assaults, burglaries and stolen autos. The MPD’s key to the abbreviations and initialisms used in the reports is at the bottom of this posting.

East Borderstan (east of 15th Street) is part of PSA 307 while West Borderstan is in PSA 208.

It’s summer, folks. Be careful out there on the street at night. Here are some safety tips from the MPD.

Also… I get these crimes for PSA 307 from the MPD 3rd District listserv on Yahoo! Groups; anyone can sign up for it with a Yahoo! account.

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From MPD 3rd District listserv on Yahoo! Groups… here is the news release about a shooting early this morning in Adams Morgan in the 2200-block of Champlain Street NW (east side of the Marie Reed Center). The suspect was fatally shot and two officers were wounded; one is in the hospital.

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The MPD is asking for the public’s helping in finding two robbery suspects who attached a man in his car on April 25 in the 1300-block of V Street NW. Details, courtesy of Police Service Area (PSA) 307 follow.

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