Crime: New D.C. Police Chief Selected; Local Crime Report
By • July 17, 2023 0 1002
Historical first this morning: Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the selection of the first African-American woman as permanent Chief for the Metropolitan Police Department.
Pamela A. Smith – formerly MPD’s Chief Equity Officer since May 2022, then Assistant Chief of Police in the Office of Intelligence of the MPD’s Homeland Security Bureau, and earlier a 25-year retired veteran of the U.S. Park Police where she also served as that department’s first Black Police Chief – swore her oath of office from the mayor at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library.
Though she’s only served with MPD just over a year, Smith’s career trajectory seems uniquely suited to address many of D.C.’s most pressing crime-suppression needs. In addition to her work as Chief Equity Officer addressing diversity, equity and inclusion issues within the department, she led the operational and administrative functions of the Special Operations Division, Joint Strategic & Tactical Analysis Command Center for MPD’s Office of Intelligence.
She began her career with the U.S. Park Police in 1998, starting as a patrol officer in the San Francisco Field Office where she received “numerous commendations for her proactive efforts with drug enforcement, sobriety checkpoints, and community engagement,” according to MPD’s website. Demonstrating “a remarkable work ethic,” she served in the Explosive Ordinance and Detection Unit, became a Senior Instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center specializing in canine handling and officer driver training, rising through the ranks to eventually become the “first African American woman to serve as Chief in the agency’s 230-year history” and supervisor to its 600-member police force.
Smith’s experiences growing up were perhaps even more formative for the leadership she’ll bring to the District’s police force. She spent her “early years in foster care in Pine Bluff, Arkansas,” due to her father’s drug dependency, her mother’s alcoholism and their divorce – and was raised by her grandparents. She dedicated herself to helping young people in and out of foster care through counseling and mentorship. On Staten Island, she worked as a social worker, helping families avoid foster care. She helped juveniles in New York City’s probation agency and served later as a corrections officer in the city’s Metropolitan Correctional Center.
Navigating her path to success, Smith became the first member of her family to graduate from college, earning her BA in Education from the University of Arkansas. While there, she became a three-time All-American track star specializing in the 800 meters.
According to Arkansas On Line, Smith’s track coach told her: “Don’t let anyone get into your head.” And that wisdom has shaped her life’s choices ever since. “What he was saying is that your biggest competition is yourself. [So,] I don’t compete with others. I’m usually competing with myself. If I fail, I don’t blame anyone. I just try a little harder. I don’t make excuses. I just do what I have to do to get better.”
Today, Smith also has a Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice Education from the University of Virginia and is a graduate of the FBI’s National Academy (Session 265).
“The new chief takes over at a critical juncture for the District,” the Washington Post reported. “Homicides are up 18 percent and poised to exceed 200 for the third consecutive year, threatening to put the city at a two-decade high. Twelve people under the age of 18 have been fatally shot this year, a pace that exceeds 2022. Three youths were killed over the Father’s Day weekend, two of them cousins shot in the same incident. And a spate of 12 killings in the first nine days of July further added to the city’s sense of insecurity. This month’s victims include a tourist visiting from Kentucky shot on a college campus, a construction worker originally from El Salvador shot on a job site and an Afghan refugee shot while driving a Lyft. In addition, the death in May of Linda Harllee Harper has left the city without a permanent director of two other offices focused on public safety in the District: the Office of Gun Violence Prevention and the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement.”
“One of my number one priorities will to be a very visible, public-facing chief of police,” Smith said in her interview. “I want to hear from the people,” Smith told the Post.
Smith will be officially sworn in as police chief upon confirmation by the District Council.
Georgetown Carjacking Alert
The Citizens Association of Georgetown (CAG) sent a dispatch July 16 to its crime block captains alerting them to a “Georgetown Armed Carjacking and Robbery,” on a July 13 post to the neighborhood Nextdoor app. “The incident occurred around 11 p.m. this past Thursday right after my roommate got off the Circulator [bus] at Wisconsin and N St.,” the report said. “As my roommate was walking down N St, she accidentally stumbled upon an attempted car-jacking at the intersection of 33rd and N. The man whose car was being broken into quickly fled the scene, but my friend who didn’t realize what was happening was immediately accosted by two of the men (there were others in their car) wearing ski masks. One of the men walked directly up to her and pointed his gun at her chest while the other went behind her and yanked her bag off of her. The men demanded that she unlock her phone and threatened to kill her if she did not comply. After unlocking the phone, the men who stole all of my roommate’s possessions quickly fled the scene.
“My roommate lost everything on her person and the robbers took at least one bag from the man’s car. After driving off, the men quickly disabled her phone’s location. I was watching the phone’s location from Find My Friends worried that something had happened to my friend, and I last saw her phone’s location moving down Pennsylvania Avenue toward the GWU campus. We believe that other neighbors may have gotten the scene and the plates of the robbers on their security footage. MPD tells us that they have collected footage from other homes, but to the best of our knowledge neither the plates of the vehicle nor the perpetrators’ identities have been identified.”
“This incident should be HIGHLY ALARMING for all of those living in the West Georgetown neighborhood. In my four years of living in the neighborhood, I have never heard of an incident of this caliber happening on N St. or so close to the front gates of the University campus. Many young adults and teenagers walk down N Street as well as Prospect and O at night — sometimes alone. I no longer think it is safe to walk in the neighborhood after dark. Please respond accordingly and stay safe.”
Year-to-Year Crime Statistics
In the District: Delving deeper into crime stats for D.C. and specifically for Ward 2, we can confirm dire pictures of D.C.’s crime trends over the past year. At CrimeCards.DC.gov, readers are invited to see a report of the 17,960 “crime incidents” in D.C. over the past year in maps, charts and tables. Bottom line: “All crimes went up by 4,070 citywide during the past 1 year to date,” we’re told. In a breakdown of the crime picture, MPD reports improvements in only “Burglary” and “Theft from Auto” categories, but increases in every other metric, including “Homicide” (from 113 to 130); “Sex Abuse” (from 65-87); “Assault with a Dangerous Weapon” (From 748 to 785); “Robbery” (from 1130 to 1792); “Theft/Other” (from 5,318 to 6,596); “Motor Vehicle Theft” (from 1800 to 3,893); and “Arson” (from 0 to 1).
In Ward 2: And trends also seem to be worsening in Ward 2. The site provides a breakdown of the 2,730 incidents in Ward 2 since last year on this date. While “Homicides,” “Burglaries” and “Thefts from Autos” have gone down (by 1, 44 and 156 respectively) – which is impressive – numbers have risen in “Sex Abuse” (from 9 to 13); “Assault with a Dangerous Weapon” (from 52 to 55); “Robbery” (from 123 to 225); “Theft/Other” (from 1,185 to 1,520); “Motor Vehicle Theft” (from 209 to 282) and “Arson” (from 0 to 1).
Local Crime Reports
On July 16, detectives from MPD’s Sexual Assault Unit announced an arrest in reference to a “Misdemeanor Sexual Abuse” offense that occurred July 15 in the 600 block of F Street, Northwest. “At approximately 7:56 a.m., the suspect took the victim’s property from in front of the listed location,” the report said. “When the victim demanded the suspect return their property the suspect engaged in unwanted sexual contact with the victim and threatened the victim. The suspect was apprehended by responding officers.” On July 15, 52-year-old Bruce Kenney Jr., of Northeast, D.C. was arrested and charged with the above-referenced offenses.
On July 15, detectives from MPD’s Homicide Branch announced an investigation of a homicide that occurred July 15 in the 6100 block of 3rd St. NW. “At approximately 12:08 a.m., Fourth District officers responded to the listed location for the report of a man down. Upon arrival, officers located an adult male shooting victim in front of the location. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene and after finding no signs consistent with life, the victim remained on the scene until transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner,” the report said. “The decedent has been identified as 27-year-old Dzhoy Zuckerman, of Northwest, D.C.
On July 13, detectives from the MPD’s Second District requested public assistance in locating suspects in reference to an “Armed Robbery (Gun) of an Establishment offense” that occurred on July 11, 2023, in the 1400 block of Church Street, Northwest. “At approximately 3:10 p.m., the suspects entered an establishment at the listed location [and] armed with handguns, took money and property from the establishment. The suspects then fled the scene,” the report said. The suspects were captured by a surveillance camera and can be seen in the following video: https://youtu.be/3vsbeiXrmVY.
On July 13, detectives from MPD’s Homicide Branch requested public assistance in identifying and locating a vehicle of interest in reference to a homicide on July 13 in the 2200 block of 6th Street NW. “At approximately 6:04 a.m., Third District officers responded to the listed location for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located an adult male shooting victim. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene and transported the victim to an area hospital where despite all life-saving efforts, the victim succumbed to his injuries,” the report said. “The decedent has been identified as 34-year-old Rafael Adolfo Gomez, of Beltsville, MD.”
Detectives are seeking assistance in locating a vehicle of interest in the case, “described as a white Nissan SUV, last seen bearing Maryland tags 5EW6340.” The vehicle was captured by a surveillance camera and can be seen in the photos below:
On July 11, detectives from MPD’s Third District requested public assistance in locating suspects in reference to an “Armed Robbery (Gun) offense” on June 12 in the 1300 Block of Columbia Road, NW. “At approximately 1:40 a.m., the suspects approached the victim at the listed location [and] brandished a handgun, took the victim’s property [and then] fled the scene,” the report said.
The suspects were captured by a nearby surveillance camera and can be seen in the photos below:
On July 10, detectives from MPD’s First District announced an arrest in reference to an “Unarmed Carjacking and Simple Assault offense” on July 8 in the 400 block of 1st Street, NW. “At approximately 1:50 p.m., the suspect approached the victims, who were seated in a vehicle, at the listed location [and] assaulted the victims [attempting] to take their vehicle. The suspect was apprehended by MPD officers with assistance from the US Capitol Police,” the report said. On July 8, 33-year-old Kwuan Arrington, of Trenton, N.J., was arrested and charged.
On July 9, detectives from MPD’s Second District announced an arrest in reference to a “Robbery (Snatch) offense” that occurred on July 8 in the 1300 block of Wisconsin Avenue, NW. “At approximately 1:00 p.m., the suspect approached the victim at the listed location. The suspect snatched property from the victim then fled the scene. The suspect was apprehended by responding officers,” the report said. On July 8, 34-year-old Mehari Tesfalem of Northeast, D.C., was arrested and charged.
On July 8, detectives from MPD’s Third District requested public assistance in locating suspects in reference to a “Robbery (Snatch) offense” on July 7 in the 2000 block of 18th Street, NW. “At approximately 3:05 p.m., the suspects approached the victim at the listed location [and] snatched property … then fled the scene,” the report said. The suspects were captured by a surveillance camera and can be seen in the photos below:
On July 8, detectives from MPD’s First District requested public assistance in locating a suspect in reference to an “Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (Gun) offense” that occurred on July 8 in the 500 block of K Street, NW. “At approximately 1:00 a.m., members of the First District responded to the listed location for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, [they] located an adult male shooting victim. The victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries,” the report said. The suspect was captured by a surveillance camera and can be seen in the photos below:
On July 5, detectives from MPD’s Youth and Family Services Division and the Sexual Assault Unit announced an arrest made in reference to a “Second-Degree Child Sex Abuse offense” and a “Misdemeanor Sexual Abuse offense” on July 4 in the 1300 Block of Fort Stevens Drive, NW. “At approximately 9:30 p.m., the victims were walking at the listed location, when the suspect engaged in unwanted sexual contact with one juvenile victim and one adult victim,” the report said. On July 5, 28-year-old Freddy Alvarez, of Northwest, D.C., and charged.
On July 5, detectives from MPD’s Homicide Branch announced an investigation of a homicide on July 4 in the 3500 Block of 13th Street, NW. “At approximately 11:58 p.m., Fourth District officers responded to the listed location for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers located an adult male shooting victim. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services responded to the scene and transported the victim to an area hospital where despite all life-saving efforts, the victim succumbed to his injuries,” the report said. “The decedent has been identified as 22-year-old Jesse Benitez, of Northwest, D.C.”
On July 5, detectives from MPD’s Second District requested public assistance in identifying and locating a suspect in reference to a “Burglary Two offense” on June 25, 2023, in the 1500 block of 14th Street, NW. “At approximately 5:20 a.m., the suspect forcibly entered an establishment at the listed location. Once inside, the suspect took property then fled the scene,” the report said.
The suspect was captured by surveillance cameras and can be seen in the photos below and in this video: https://youtu.be/2xILtZGu2RA
The public is invited to notify MPD with tips or information at (202) 727-9099, or on the department’s TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411. In some cases, money rewards are offered for information leading to arrest and conviction.
Editor’s disclaimer: This crime article is based on MPD reports. Suspect information presented has not necessarily been adjudicated in a court of law. A presumption of innocence applies in all cases pending a legal determination.
