Friday, Dec. 5: D.C. Council Hearing on Mayor’s Crime Bill

The Judiciary Committee of the D.C. Council holds a public hearing at noon this Friday, December 5, on Mayor Adrian Fenty’s crime bill. The hearing is at the John A. Wilson Building and members of the public can sign up to provide testimony and/or submit written statements (details follow). Fenty introduced Bill 17-951, the “Omnibus Anti-Crime Amendment Act of 2008” on October 6.

The crime bill has eight different sections. However, the Friday public hearing will deal with only three portions of the bill: penalties and sentencing related to gun crimes; establishment of anti-gang provisions; and establishment of certain witness protection provisions.

Details on the December 5 Hearing

• What: Public Hearing on Bill 17-951, “Omnibus Anti-Crime Amendment Act of 2008.
• When: Friday, December 5 at noon (12 p.m.).
• Where: 5th Floor Council Chambers, John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
• Who: The Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary Committee of the D.C. Council is holding the hearings; it is chaired by Councilmember Phil Mendelson (At-Large). Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans is a member of the committee; Evans represents Borderstan.
• Scope of Hearings: The roundtable (hearing) will focus on three aspects of the bill: (1) guns and penalties and sentencing related to such crimes; (2) the establishment of anti-gang provisions; and (3) the establishment of certain witness protection provisions.
• How to Testify: If you want to testify at the public hearing, contact Heidi Tesu, Committee Clerk by phone at 202-724-8038 or by fax at 202-724-6664 or by email at [email protected]. Provide your name, address, telephone number, organizational affiliation and title (if any) by close of business Wednesday, December 3. You may submit a written statement if you are unable to testify. Full details are online.

From the mayor’s October 3 news release:

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty today introduced the Omnibus Anti-Crime Amendment Act of 2008 to strengthen penalties for possession of illegal guns and give law enforcement more tools to fight crime and improve enforcement options against gangs. The legislation is the result of a partnership between the Fenty Administration and the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia and modernizes various provisions of the criminal code.

The bill also provides law enforcement with new ways of combating gang violence and expands the District’s ability to use DNA technology to solve crimes. Read entire news release.

Sections of the crime bill cover penalties for guns, violent crime and gangs, witness retaliation, DNA, drugs,procedural, privileges, and statutory revisions.