Fmr. D.C. Police Chief: D.C., ‘Cities Around the Country’ Have Violent Crime ‘Problem’

On Thursday’s broadcast of CNN’s “The Lead,” CNN Senior Law Enforcement Analyst and former D.C. Police Chief Charles Ramsey stated that “There is a problem in terms of violent crime, not only in D.C. but in cities around the country.” But there has to be a long-term strategy to maintain the gains made by National Guard deployments in D.C. and said that expanding the area of patrol for some federal officers is an idea to increase police presence.

Ramsey said, “I’m not surprised that the numbers are down, with the number of law enforcement and military personnel that [have] been sent to the district, it’s pretty easy to suppress crime. But suppressing crime is not the same thing as solving the crime problem. These numbers cannot remain forever. Eventually, they’re going to leave, and when they leave, what happens then? So, you have to put in place a strategy, a plan to be able to sustain whatever gains you make during this period of time. And unless I see that, then this is going to be something that is very temporary in nature. There is a problem in terms of violent crime, not only in D.C. but in cities around the country. But just throwing hundreds of National Guard at it is not necessarily the solution.”

He added that he hasn’t heard of any coordinated plan, and “what I would like to see would be, for an example, if you want to have greater police presence — not so much the Guard — but police presence, expand the area of patrol for Park Police, expand the area of patrol for the U.S. Capitol Police. All of these kinds of agencies, along with Metropolitan Police, they need a plan. They need a strategy. What you’re seeing right now is nothing more than just suppressing crime, and you could put hundreds of people anywhere in the United States for a period of time, and I guarantee you, the crime numbers will show a reduction, because you’re suppressing it. Criminals aren’t stupid. They aren’t — they’re just going to lay low until you leave.”

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