Councilmember Allen to hold public roundtable on policing and public safety in Wards 7 and 8

On Thursday, July 12, Councilmember Charles Allen, Chair of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, will hold a public oversight roundtable to hear from members of the community on policing and public safety concerns specific to Wards 7 and 8.  The roundtable is open to all residents.

“Community policing isn’t just a buzz word – it’s a culture shift that involves neighborhood residents in preventing crime and prioritizing safety concerns. But in order for community policing to work, we need trust between the community and law enforcement,” said Councilmember Allen. “While I hear from neighbors with positive interactions, I have also been carefully following a number of interactions between MPD officers and community members that undermine that trust and are deeply painful for those involved. I hope to create a space where residents can feel comfortable coming forward to share their experiences.”

The Committee will seek testimony on several topics related to policing and public safety, including community policing, stop and frisks, the use of force, de-escalation techniques and strategies, gun recovery tactics, policing public space, and police presence in the community. In order to hear from as many public witnesses as possible, the Committee will hear government and public witnesses in the morning and reconvene the roundtable in Deanwood later that day to make it more accessible for members of the community:

Morning roundtable with government and public witnesses:

Thursday, July 12 at 9:30 am
Room 412, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave, NW

Afternoon-evening roundtable with public witnesses:

Thursday, July 12 at 5 pm (it will likely last several hours)
Deanwood Recreation Center, 1350 49^th St., NE

How to testify: Please sign-up by calling the committee at 202-724-7808 or email [email protected].  Individual witnesses will be limited to three minutes of prepared testimony and organizations five minutes. Witnesses who do not wish to be featured on camera can have their names and likenesses obscured.

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