Add to that list a shooting behind the Reeves Center at 14th & V yesterday afternoon around 5pm. Not sure if anyone was hit.

ontarioroader:

I heard the gun shots yesterday also (I'm at 15th& W). A few minutes after the shots, about 15 patrol cars flew down W heading in that direction. From a friend of mine, they talked to a few people, but left shortly later. I'm guessing no one was hit, but I don't know with certainty.

Boom:

Don't you know it's not a real crime unless it somehow has a chance of ending up on the news or otherwise embarrassing DC officials?

Just having someone break into your car and steal all your stuff, causing you considerable hardship, isn't actually a real crime in DC.

And it's certainly not something that we inconvenience the perpetrators over. I mean, they may have had other important things they could have been doing, instead of messing with some trifling booking procedure for theft from auto....

Sorry..should have been "...ordered an ice Espresso AT BUSBOYS AND POETS..."

wow, was out of town for 3 days and you people can't keep things in order around here for me when i get back.

here's an idea, MPD. get out of your damn cars and talk to people, interact with those who aren't causing trouble as much as those who do.

as i was driving back into the city from new york, i drove past the double shell stations on south dakota just north of new york ave. there was a cop sitting there in his car, watching traffic go by, while the car in front of me was watching a TV on the dashboard.

not a GPS unit. a TV.

did the cop flinch. you guess.

Wow, an actual Stun Gun ad in the banner....are those even legal in DC?

here's an idea, MPD. get out of your damn cars and talk to people, interact with those who aren't causing trouble as much as those who do.

Well that's kind of a two-way street, innit? Snitches getting stitches and all. I snitched on the bitch next door for wearing white after Labor Day. And what did I get for my troubles? Let's just say she and her snooty boyfriend Lord Autumnbottom-Chugworth III of the Hampton Chugworths took me to Junkpunchers. Didn't even let his monocle fall out his eye. But I got back at him! Bled all over his spats.

OK, someone please explain the Trinidad situation to me like I'm a five-year-old (i.e. twice as mature as normal).
-What is it about Trinidad that's making it red hot now?
-Are these drug turf wars, gang wars, personal beefs, or what?!?
-Why do you need a checkpoint instead of increased patrols/more officers on the streets?
-What is the point of the checkpoints- to catch the guys doing this stuff, or as a deterrent?
1. If it's "deterrent" and since it seems that they just wait for the checkpoints to go away before opening fire, does this mean that full-time checkpoints will be proposed?
2. Have the checkpoints caught anyone?

@Hillman: Just having someone break into your car and steal all your stuff, causing you considerable hardship, isn't actually a real crime in DC. And it's certainly not something that we inconvenience the perpetrators over. I mean, they may have had other important things they could have been doing, instead of messing with some trifling booking procedure for theft from auto....

So, so true. A year ago I had my car completely vandalized. Called the police to come out take a report. When they arrived they asked if there was anything taken from the vehicle and the damages. They then asked if I touched the vehicle? I made the mistake of saying yes. They then gave me the third degree about how I disturbed a crime scene and the CSI wont dust for prints now, even though my prints were already all over my car and the tire iron that smashed my windows and another tool was untouched and laying on the ground. And if he did dust for prints I might have to be arrested since my prints are on the car and at the very least tampered with evidence! Threatening to arrest me while taking my report! so ridiculous.

How am I supposed to tell them if anything was took from the car and what the damage is if I don't open the door to get to my glove box and center console?

Well thanks for letting me vent. In summary, no DC doesn't consider breaking into cars and vandalizing a crime, only reporting them. So have at DC, the police aren't going to be looking for you.

@IMGoph: Agreed - I jaywalk across that intersection all the time, but I probably wouldn't when a cop was standing there (due to deep instilled childhood lessons about being a good citizen - and a geek). Sure, jaywalking isn't exactly high on the list of DC's crime problems, but the point is, if I wouldn't do if a cop was there, what other crimes would his visible presence deter?

If I understand you correctly then Monkey (I don't), this was a drive-by gom jabbaring for spice? Have you considered that maybe this was a plan to lower officer morale to the point where they quit in disgust at the useless checkpoints, then once DC burns down Vincent Orange will rebuild "new DC" (i.e. condos) on that spot unless Johnathan Rees can successfully bail the city out by convincing them to legalize Nuke?

Oh, you had? Nevermind then.

hillman, tmoney, ksf4:

You're right - theft from auto is a nonpunished offense in DC. My car was broken into a few months ago. The police did come after a couple of hours but didn't have any interest in trying to get prints even though I purposely didn't touch anything. I asked him if there was anything I could do to prevent it and he said "get a gun."

I am curious what the ratio of reported car break-ins is to successful arrests for car break-ins? In the scheme of things it's not lifeshattering, and I'd rather have police effort focused on preventing violent crime, but it seems as though there should be at least cursory effort made to catch the offenders. The less the perceived chance of getting caught, the more likely it is that it will keep happening.