From The WaPo… finally, the DC Council will vote on Mayor Fenty’s Omnibus Crime Bill:
Anti-Gang Proviso Draws Support but Also Raises Concerns
The D.C. Council is set to vote today on a broad crime bill that includes a new legal mechanism for combating gangs, one that proponents say has been effective in other cities but that critics warn could infringe on people’s liberties.
Read story at WaPo. Full text of the bill here (PDF).
Borderstan has had several earlier postings on the bill and related activity.
Hmmm…. interesting. I only hope that Edward Delgado, former inspector in the MPD Third District, wasn’t punished for proactive action that got much-need results in Columbia Heights earlier this year. But, I wouldn’t want to bet he wasn’t. I will let neighborhood blogger New Columbia Heights tell the story, but I will add that I don’t like what I read and what I suspect. From New Columbia Heights:
Turnover and controversy with neighborhood MPD officials. Looks like there’s something afoot with MPD’s officials in the Third District Substation, which covers the Columbia Heights area – a couple days ago, there was a message on the Substation listserve welcoming a new commander, Inspector Jacob Kishter. The message had no mention of very popular Inspector Edward Delgado, and shortly afterwards a couple of people asked what happened to him.
Turns out, Delgado was demoted and reassigned to the very violent 7th District, apparently stemming from his complaints about DC’s juvenile justice system — in particular, MPD in Columbia Heights had three times arrested a teenager who had committed 21 robberies, and each time he was released by the Attorney General’s office, only to commit more robberies. A frustrated Delgado urged citizens to email DC Attorney General Peter Nickles, and Nickles didn’t like that at all – he refused to read the emails and complained about Delgado’s response. The robbery suspect kid was later released again but I think he was recaptured.
The DC City Council Judiciary Committee held a public hearing Wednesday on two bills: the “Omnibus Anti-Crime Amendment Act of 2009” and the “Public Safety and Justice Amendments Act of 2009.” (Read Feb. 22 Borderstan posting on crime bill.)
According to the City Desk blog over at the Washington City Paper Web site, the following information about DC gangs came out in the supportive testimony of D.C. Attorney General Peter J. Nickles and MPD Chief of Police Cathy L. Lanier:
