> > Gerald Ford, remembered. [WTOP] >> The Metropolitan Police Department alerts us that the FBI will be doing a “fly over” above Washington, DC tonight until midnight. No, we don’t have the slightest idea what this means either, but why take chances? Tonight, conduct your illicit activity from the safety of your own domicile, where, as the courts seem to agree, you have a reasonable expectation of privacy. >> Of course, as far as…

Forgetful drivers be warned — this is not the week to not wear your seatbelt. The Metropolitan Police Department has announced that through June 4 they will be stepping up enforcement of the city’s seatbelt laws, violations of which can result in a $50 fine and two points on your license. The District Department of Transportation has reported that seatbelt usage in the District stands at 89 percent — leaving 11 percent of drivers…

Crime levels in the District improved, for the most part, in 2005, continuing a 15-year trend of improved public safety in Washington. While the capital’s surrounding municipalities all experienced an increase in homicides from 2004 (with Prince George’s County posting its highest toll ever at 168), the District saw a drop for the year to 195 homicides, down from 198 in 2004. It was the lowest number killed in the city since 1986. The Metropolitan…

Do you ever feel like you’re being watched as you walk around the city? Chances are that you are. Beyond the many security cameras that dot the city’s urban landscape, the Metropolitan Police Department employs 19 Closed Circuit Television cameras (known as CCTV) to monitor traffic-heavy or sensitive areas: The Metropolitan Police Department uses its CCTV system to support public safety operations in the nation’s capital during major events, emergencies, or times of heightened alert…

Photo of parking meters, part of a series by epmd, posted in DCist photos. More WMATA … Davis Calls for Inquiry: Oh boy, Congress is getting involved in the WMATA situation. Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.), the chairman of the powerful House Government Reform Committee has called on the Government Accountability Office — which is Congress’ investigative arm — to conduct an inquiry into how the region’s transit system has spent its money and managed…

The Metropolitan Police Department is having a “Well, I can’t complain” sort of year. Homicides are down 18.9 percent in the District, and if trends continue, 2005 will be the least-murderous year in recent memory. This may be less product of able police work and more a consequence of an increasing real estate market in the District, though — it seems that criminals are being priced out of living in the District. According to the…

We hope you’re enjoying your Presidents Day weekend, especially if you have Monday off from work. Although this photo taken outside the Adams Morgan McDonalds was posted on photogene’s photoblog on Valentine’s Day, we thought it works for this weekend as well since we witnessed a fight spill from the sidewalk to inside the McDonald’s at 18th Street and Columbia Road and then back outside again. The Metropolitan Police officers breaking up the scuffle sure…

Good morning, Washington. The weather today is supposed to be frigidly chilly this morning with temperatures later rising into the 40s, according to Capital Weather. Drew McDermott’s recent photo of the Virginia Square metrorail station entrance seems timely considering this morning’s first item … A Transit Surplus and a Rate Hike?: Thanks to a 4 percent increase in subway ridership and a 10 percent increase in bus ridership, WMATA officials have gleefully announced they…

Yeah, it’s raining (this DCist left his umbrella at the office, super!) and there are weather-related problems all over the region, including flooding. And look at the traffic from this D.C. traffic cam looking at the Suitland Parkway approach to the Frederick Douglass Bridge in Southeast. And it’s going to be in the 20s tomorrow morning. Summer was bound to end sometime. And there are 15-minute delays on the Yellow and Green lines in…

Good morning, Washington. The weather should be fair with temperatures near 60 degrees. More Details on Fiery Suicide Attempt Outside White House: DCist thought that self-immolation was a tactic limited to Beijing and the most hard-core Falug Dafa protesters. Now, just steps from the White House an FBI terror informant from Yemen set himself on fire out of despair, just days Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the executive residence was reopened to pedestrian traffic. The…