My Opera"Stay Away Orders" and More
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 3:06:52 PM
The editor saw Jack Evans at the WCCA Advisory Committee meeting last Thursday. His major topic was essentially what was in his recent newsletter:
The Mayor has proposed the “Omnibus Anti-Crime Amendment Act of 2009” to strengthen our crime fighting tools. My colleagues have made various proposals as well. Given the recent homicide at 7th and M Streets in Shaw last week, and the shocking incident in Adams Morgan this past weekend where two police officers were shot, we need to do everything possible to get the upper hand on criminal activity.
Particularly important to me are the gang-related provisions, which I think will be useful countering gang activity in Ward 2 and through out the city, as well as increasing penalties for the use of stolen cars in the commission of a crime. It’s bad enough when a criminal steals a car, but even worse when they use that vehicle for a drive-by shooting or other crimes, which has been an unfortunate and emerging trend. There are also a variety of proposals to increase gun possession penalties that make sense as well. Together these proposals are aimed at fighting crime and disrupting the activities of gangs to make our city safer.
The Council’s Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, on which I serve, has already held two hearings on the legislation, and I believe it is incumbent upon the Council to move forward quickly on the emergency version of the legislation in June. Under normal legislative procedures, the Council would vote twice on permanent legislation and then it would go through a 60-day Congressional review period. Obviously, the summer would be long over by then – thus it is absolutely imperative we move the most important parts of this legislation forward on an emergency basis on June 2nd so we can give our police officers and the US Attorney the tools they need to combat crime. So before my thoughts turn to summer vacations and other pleasant things, I appreciate we have some important work to do first to help make everyone’s summer happy and safe.
The editor remembers remembers LT Mike Smith and his crew talking about the importance of "Stay Away" orders over the years. He doesn't recall that there were many of them, but against certain people, usually prostitutes, the police believed they held down crime. He also remembers that they took a lot of work on the part of the police down at US Attorneys offices and the court house.
Commander Kucich was at the meeting and allowed as how it would be a good thing. Not a total solution, but would help. The editors experience over the years is that many of the nagging, year-after-year crime problems go away after the police and the US Attorney and the Councilman manage to get a little change here and there and finally the people involved in the crimes (which include prostitution and drugs) go somewhere else. The editor should weep for the places the lowlifes go, but we've done our time. Now it's someone else's turn.
The omnibus bill above moves the "stay away" level of proof from "beyond reasonable doubt" to "preponderance of evidence". In other words, somewhat easier. And for this Summer, that means that getting one in place for certain individuals on certain corners of the Far Side might actually happen.
"Emergency" legislation just fits this coming Summer and the attendant problems. The normal procedures for implementing a law mean that there's a pretty good chance it might be in place next Summer. Let's hope the Council moves quickly.
As a side note, the WaPo had a chin puller in the Outlook section that an individual who has his name on such a stay away order might be hobbled for life. Poor dears. Actually, the editor guesses that getting on a stay away order takes real work and a bit of a record anyway. The piece seems not be available on-line. It must have just floated away, as happens when objects have no weight.
The Mayor has proposed the “Omnibus Anti-Crime Amendment Act of 2009” to strengthen our crime fighting tools. My colleagues have made various proposals as well. Given the recent homicide at 7th and M Streets in Shaw last week, and the shocking incident in Adams Morgan this past weekend where two police officers were shot, we need to do everything possible to get the upper hand on criminal activity.
Particularly important to me are the gang-related provisions, which I think will be useful countering gang activity in Ward 2 and through out the city, as well as increasing penalties for the use of stolen cars in the commission of a crime. It’s bad enough when a criminal steals a car, but even worse when they use that vehicle for a drive-by shooting or other crimes, which has been an unfortunate and emerging trend. There are also a variety of proposals to increase gun possession penalties that make sense as well. Together these proposals are aimed at fighting crime and disrupting the activities of gangs to make our city safer.
The Council’s Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, on which I serve, has already held two hearings on the legislation, and I believe it is incumbent upon the Council to move forward quickly on the emergency version of the legislation in June. Under normal legislative procedures, the Council would vote twice on permanent legislation and then it would go through a 60-day Congressional review period. Obviously, the summer would be long over by then – thus it is absolutely imperative we move the most important parts of this legislation forward on an emergency basis on June 2nd so we can give our police officers and the US Attorney the tools they need to combat crime. So before my thoughts turn to summer vacations and other pleasant things, I appreciate we have some important work to do first to help make everyone’s summer happy and safe.
The editor remembers remembers LT Mike Smith and his crew talking about the importance of "Stay Away" orders over the years. He doesn't recall that there were many of them, but against certain people, usually prostitutes, the police believed they held down crime. He also remembers that they took a lot of work on the part of the police down at US Attorneys offices and the court house.
Commander Kucich was at the meeting and allowed as how it would be a good thing. Not a total solution, but would help. The editors experience over the years is that many of the nagging, year-after-year crime problems go away after the police and the US Attorney and the Councilman manage to get a little change here and there and finally the people involved in the crimes (which include prostitution and drugs) go somewhere else. The editor should weep for the places the lowlifes go, but we've done our time. Now it's someone else's turn.
The omnibus bill above moves the "stay away" level of proof from "beyond reasonable doubt" to "preponderance of evidence". In other words, somewhat easier. And for this Summer, that means that getting one in place for certain individuals on certain corners of the Far Side might actually happen.
"Emergency" legislation just fits this coming Summer and the attendant problems. The normal procedures for implementing a law mean that there's a pretty good chance it might be in place next Summer. Let's hope the Council moves quickly.
As a side note, the WaPo had a chin puller in the Outlook section that an individual who has his name on such a stay away order might be hobbled for life. Poor dears. Actually, the editor guesses that getting on a stay away order takes real work and a bit of a record anyway. The piece seems not be available on-line. It must have just floated away, as happens when objects have no weight.
