During a panel discussion Tuesday, D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith called on small business owners to give police access to the cameras to help prevent crime.
On Tuesday, D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith appeared at the 2024 Potomac Public Safety Conference along with Catholic University President Peter Kilpatrick.
As Kilpatrick was finishing up his remarks, Smith turned to the panel’s moderator, Elliot Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination DC, who understood that DC’s chief police officer had one last word and quickly shook his head.
“One thing I’d add is, I’m in a private sector business environment,” Smith said, “and one of the things we’ve launched with the Real Time Crime Center is the ability to connect cameras.”
The panel discussion, titled “Collaborating for Success: Building Strategies, Resources and Trust,” was conducted in collaboration with the Department of Commerce, the Council of Governments, the Greater Washington Partnership and the University Consortium.
During their roughly 40-minute talks, Smith and Metro Transportation Commissioner Michael Anzalo both spoke about the decline in crime rates over the past year.
Smith said that to date the Metropolitan police has nearly 40,000 cameras connected to the Real-Time Crime Centre through Camera Connect DC.
“We’re asking you, your partners, your businesses to connect your cameras to our real-time crime center,” Smith said. “If you’re a business or a private shop, we want you to use your cameras.”
Smith later spoke to WTOP and appealed to business owners again.
“Please, please, give the Metropolitan Police access to the cameras,” Smith said, “so we can get to the scene quicker and properly arrest those who are causing havoc on our city.”
Smith also said crime has been trending downward in the area since January.
“Violent crimes are down 30 percent, robberies are down 31 percent, and we’ve seen a very significant decrease in carjackings, 47 percent,” Smith said. “We know we still have work to do, but we have to keep trying.”
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