CCCA August 2022 Newsletter

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Message from CCCA’s President

Livability22202 is looking at the problem of crime in the area. We are meeting with the police and are looking for volunteers to work on the issue. If you are interested, please email me at: [email protected].

Last month we did a survey on potential names for the two parks at the Amazon HQ2 sites:  MetPark and PenPlace.  The results are here.  Overall, the names chosen are likely candidates for the final names.

Lastly, have a great summer! Be sure and take some time off and enjoy life!

Eric Cassel, CCCA President

CRIME

In Crystal City there has been several events that concern the local community. As a result, the three civic associations wrote a letter to the police department:

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The Response from Captain Scott Linder:

Eric, Kateri and Cory,

Thank you for the letter and for sharing your concerns over recent incidents and crime trends in your neighborhoods.  I have asked our Crime Analysis Unit to provide me with up to date crime stats in your neighborhoods for this year and for four years prior.  This will help to determine current criminal activity and how it compares to previous years both during and pre-pandemic.  Once I have that information I will provide it to you all for review.  

Although I am sure you are aware of our staffing issues and the recent message that Chief Penn released related to some Service Changes and Reallocation of Resources (https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Departments/Police-Department/Service-Changes-and-Reallocation-of-Resources), the Arlington County Police Department maintains the desire to provide high quality service and to continue developing our partnerships/relationships with the businesses and residents of Arlington.  

As crime happens within the County, we take a multi-pronged approach to stopping, solving and preventing criminal activity.  For instance, when trends are observed, our Media Office and the Community Engagement Division through social media (Twitter, Facebook, emails, NextDoor) will notify the public of the types of crimes, locations and certain tips to help residents to reduce their potential for becoming a victim.   Additionally, patrols (both visible and non-visible) are increased in these areas to provide a visible deterrent, protect the citizens and to stop the crimes in progress.   Decoy vehicles and signage may also be deployed as additional visible and educational components to try and limit criminal activity.   

At the same time, our Crime Analysts utilize data to identify any discernable pattern related to these crimes.  The Criminal Investigation Division works with our Crime Analysts, reviews reports, checks with regional and federal partners in an effort to identify suspects and physical evidence that can lead us to potential arrests and case closures.   

Of course, the ultimate goal is to have no crime in the first place.  Unfortunately, Arlington is a highly populated urban area where a certain amount of crime is inevitable.  We can work together by trying to limit the amount of these crimes by continuing to educate the residents related to security of homes, vehicles and their person.   We continue to do this through attendance at Civic Association meetings, providing daily crime reports, sharing crime tips during identified crime trends or expected seasonal trends as well as other educational tools.  

We offer CPTED services (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design), both residential and commercial, which identifies safety concerns in and around buildings/houses that can often be minimized with simple changes to the environment (lighting upgrades, bush/tree trimming, lock upgrades etc).  This is a free service the CED offers and can be requested on-line (https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Departments/Police-Department/Community-Engagement).  In addition to CPTED, our Business Outreach Unit and Arlington Restaurant Initiative works with our local businesses and provides training and educational programming to include improving nightlife safety.  The BOU/ARI works with and certifies restaurants all over the county and not just Clarendon. Clarendon just happens to be more visible then other parts of the County related to nightlife activity.  

Again,  thank you for the letter and I look forward to speaking with you once I have received the updates stats.   

Alternatives to Calling the Police

SURJ NoVa (https://www.surjnova.org/) and the Crystal City Civic Association co-hosted a webinar on alternatives to calling the police on Sunday afternoon, April 25.  The presentation, breakouts, and discussion were thought-provoking and intense.  For many participants, realizing the implications of calling the police were a revelation and something to consider when encountering a potential criminal activity.  The webinar recording is here: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/mVAOgb2NtO-86moqCT-64ys-ilKaoWp4rIafrsO8TupbRmIAlCzvC6hjIgpJeDrf.9cLFsPR9z0G8NkKV

Enter this password – including the period: zvykS8w. The speaker also shared a link to  the SURJ NoVa Alternatives to Calling the Police resources for Arlington: EnglishSpanish.

CCCA Meeting March 17, 7-9 pm

Excellent Meeting–Very informative.

You can see the presentation on Project Journey at National Airport by the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority (MWAA) here. The new terminal will open by summer. The work on the security checkpoints is ongoing.

National Airport

You can see the presentation by the Arlington County Police Department about Outreach and prevention in 22202 here, crime statistics compared for the first 3 months of 2019-2021 here, and crime statistics for the entire years of 2018-2020 here. The lists are broken down by civic association in 22202 and by the crime established by Virginia statutes.

The meeting was recorded on the CCCA Facebook/Live streaming page and can be seen here: https://www.facebook.com/crystalcitycivic/live.

You can also see the timeline updates for Upcoming Meetings here and for Development and Other issues here.

Police Need Your Help to Prevent Larcenies from Auto

The Arlington County Police Department is announcing numerous charges have been sought against suspects responsible for multiple auto theft and larceny cases throughout the County. This week, 11 warrants were obtained for Michael A. Brunner III, 18, of Washington, D.C. His charges include felony Stolen Auto, Grand Larceny and Credit Card Larceny, as well as misdemeanor Vehicle Trespassing and Petit Larceny. The Department also recently sought petitions for two juvenile suspects for Grand Larceny Auto.

The identification and apprehension of these suspects is just one step in reducing crimes of opportunity in Arlington County. Thieves are looking for easy, low effort opportunities to steal from hardworking members of the public. Reported incidents indicate that thieves often target multiple unlocked vehicles parked on streets, in driveways and in garages to rummage through personal property and steal items of value as well as vehicles with keys left inside. To help residents keep their vehicles and property safe, the Arlington County Police Department is sharing ways we can work together to reduce and prevent property crimes in our community.

Visit the website to learn more.