January 26, 2007
New Crime Camera Outside the U Street Metro
Just when Jim Graham does something to make us mad, he comes back and does something good. As part of a pilot program sponsored by the Ward 1 council member, there is now a crime camera outside the 13th and U entrance of the U Street Metro, which the station managers will monitor. Interestingly, Graham opposed a similar camera in Adams Morgan.
While there are legitimate reasons for discomfort with the overall crime camera program, I personally think this is a fantastic idea, both because there has been high-profile crime near this particular Metro entrance, like the murder at 12th and U in December, and because cameras near public transit entrances have far fewer privacy concerns than ones at random residential intersections. But I have another reason, too -- my own personal experience -- because I was jumped by a group of teens in December just down the street from the Shaw Metro's 8th & R exit. Thankfully nothing was stolen and the Metro Transit Police caught some of the kids, but those two stations have had a lot of crime recently -- there have been 3 murders right outside the 8th Street exit of the Shaw Metro in the past year, as well as numerous incidents similar to mine. In fact, many Shaw bloggers and residents have been wondering why there's so little major media coverage of the recent crime spike in Shaw.
I hope there's a similar camera installed at Shaw as soon as possible. It's very frustrating not to use the Metro station closest to my home because of safety concerns. After all, what good is a Metro station if people won't use it? These cameras at other stations could do wonders for safety around the Metro, one area where people both expect to be safe and have fewer expectations of privacy.
U Street escalator photo by katmere
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I agree with your sentiments. But the issues with the camera are:
1 -- are station managers actually paying any attention to it to see what's going on at the street-level entrance; and
2 -- are the recordings on that camera being taped so that if it does capture a crime, the cops can go to the videotape. Metro has cameras near the turnstiles, but they are not recording; they just play live in the station manager's booth. So even if it did capture a crime, there's no tape. Which kind of defeats the whole purpose of having the cameras there.
--Fellow Hatcheteer
I agree with your sentiments. But the issues with the camera are: are station managers actually paying any attention to it to see what's going on at the street-level entrance; and are the recordings on that camera being taped so that if it does capture a crime, the cops can go to the videotape.
Metro has cameras near the turnstiles, but they are not recording; they just play live in the station managers booth. So even if it did capture a crime, there's no tape. Which kind of defeats the whole purpose of having the cameras there.
--Fellow Hatcheteer
The other issue with cameras, like those national guard kleig lights DC brings out after murders, is that they can displace criminal activity. So it moves 1/2 block away.
I understand your concerns because of your experience, but I don't think a "crime camera" (I really hate that name. What, does it where a cape and shoot lasers at criminals?) is going to stop what happened to you.
I got jumped by a group of very young teenagers outside of the Union Station entrance on 1st St. over the summer on what is one of the more policed sections of streets in the city. Similarly, nothing was taken from me and they just ran off the moment I started yelling at them, but a camera wouldn't have stopped them.
Kids who do that kind of thing aren't going to take the time to be concerned about a camera or the police presence in the area. As horrible as what happened to me was, there's not much that could have stopped it.
crime cameras are an imperfect solution-- they're not really a solution. but they're a help until the police can accomplish more.
the shaw metro thing is ridiculous. those kids hang out throwing stuff down the escalator on the south entrance and hang out at housing complex across the street. the cops seem powerless to stop it. someone gets killed the cops show up for a few days and leave. nothing solved.
too many people have been jumped and shot by hoodlums at or near that metro. time to knock down the surrounding problem housing and put in a few starbucks and ironic t-shirt stores. go gentrification.
you're not allowed to cover stories of racial crimes when the victims are white. it makes your media outlet look racist.
isn't the camera at the 10th and U entrance, not the 13th and U entrance of the station?
www.crimeindc.org/map/key/cpedikaevstc
Looks like a whole lot of assaults and robberies near U St metro since November.
gentrification? yes, please.
"you're not allowed to cover stories of racial crimes when the victims are white. it makes your media outlet look racist."
That's from the WaPo STyle book, isn't it?
Yes, bring on the gentrification!
"you're not allowed to cover stories of racial crimes when the victims are white. it makes your media outlet look racist."
Ha! someone's been peeking at the WaPo Style Book!
Andrew...thanks for the link. Not sure if you saw my post today but one of the current cameras caught ANOTHER shooting last night at 7th and 0 (the same camera caught a shooting a few months back in broad daylight). I live two blocks from the 8th and R metro and I know what you are concerned about...but I must say that MPD has listened to us and has made some staffing changes to have squad cars near the entrance at key times (school dismissal, dark and late night).
Someone brought up the issue of station managers being responsible. No offense but I think an army could get through the 8th and R entrance at Shaw/Howard U metro...(I personally have been harassed and one time someone attempted to steal my briefcase)...I frequently see the 'managers" sleeping, surfing the net and reading instead of walking around the station like they are supposed to...
'Agreed', I do not disagree with your post but enforcement has improved since January (remember last March there was a murder in broad daylight right at the entrance).
3 murders? Andrew...I know of the one outside of the metro a year ago St. Pats and the one at 8th and Q a few months ago...but are you counting the one inside of the apartment building at 7th and R as the third murder? If so you may want to revise that was COMPLETELY unrelated to Lincoln Westmoreland and the "tenants"...