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WASHINGTON (Map, News) - The D.C. Superior Court will double the size of its Saturday shift in anticipation of Police Chief Cathy Lanier’s weekend crackdown on crime.
Lanier will launch her “All Hands on Deck” initiative today to combat the violence and crime that rise with the summer temperatures.
To jump-start her program, all 3,800 uniformed officers will work an extra eight hours this weekend to increase the visibility of the force. Police will be patrolling by foot, scooter, Segway, motorcycle and police cruiser. Others will be assigned specific tasks.
Police sources said that they will be stopping motorists for minor offenses, checking for vehicles for contraband and running criminal background checks. The department also is installing five new surveillance cameras, bringing to 24 the number of cameras placed around the District.
Leah Gurowitz, spokesperson for the D.C. Superior Court, said the courthouse will have an extra judge and staff in preparation for the additional cases it expects to arraign this weekend.
Lanier expects to announce the details of her plan this morning. Her initiative comes a week after the District saw four homicides, including the shooting death of 13-year-old Terry Cutchin in Columbia Heights.
First-year Chief Lanier has vowed to make the police force more proactive, and her goal has been to cut crime without resorting to the costly emergency declarations used by her predecessor.
Last year, after the District suffered 13 murders in 11 days, then-Police Chief Charles Ramsey declared an emergency that allowed him to force his officers to work six-day weeks over several months.
Crime fell, but the overtime payments cost the city an extra $14.5 million and put a strain on the police force.
smccabe@examiner.com
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Comments from Examiner Readers
4:19 PM MST on Tue., Apr. 1, 2008 re: "Overtime pay part of grim deficit forecast"
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2:33 PM MST on Tue., Apr. 1, 2008
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2:12 PM MST on Wed., Jan. 2, 2008
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9:53 AM MST on Wed., Jan. 2, 2008
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3:39 AM MST on Mon., Jun. 18, 2007
re: "Home of the six-figure police officer"
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8:51 AM MST on Fri., Jun. 8, 2007
re: "Superior Court to double staff for D.C. police crackdown on crime; 3,800 will work overtime"
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4:41 AM MST on Fri., Jun. 8, 2007
re: "Officials: OT a solution for short staffs"
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10:33 PM MST on Tue., Jun. 5, 2007
re: "Training and staff shortages lead to rise in expenses, overtime"
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Examiner Reader said:
I think there is a lot of 'fudging' going on here regarding OT! Are these people really working OT? Is someone actually checking to see if they are working. I mean, to me where and who are these people? I dont' see it in our filthy streets, terrible MUNI service. Cop protection,
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Examiner Reader said:
Let's see... Close Buster's that serves 150 homeless people to save 150 K , while paying 8000 S.F. employees 62 Million in extra overtime pay... ???
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Examiner Reader said:
As far as I'm aware, there are no "secrets" as to the salaries of public employess. Each year their base salaries are published with the respective budget. I believe you can find copies available in your public library and elsewhere.
42 agree | 68 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I work at SF General. What I'd like to know is how you can reduce overtime *and* have a hiring freeze at the same time. The nurses where I work end up having to work mandatory overtime (which they don't want to do) because there aren't enough nurses to cover the hospital 24/7 as is required by the licensing bodies that oversee us (and is necessary for good patient care).
57 agree | 65 disagree
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LDP said:
I wonder if the actual hours paid really equal the actual hours worked? That's the real investigation.
45 agree | 45 disagree
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Mike Licht said:
Did the Council ever pass Tommy Wells' bill to institute "night papering"? If so, has it been implemented? I haven't read anything about it, and that is the measure beat cops have told me they want the most.
72 agree | 84 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Where's the list of all employees and their salaries to go along with this story? Didn't someone say it's public information and publishing it only serves to improve public service? Of course, I'm being sarcastic. There was absolutely no excuse for what they did. But if you're going to publish the names of police officers, why not everyone else in the county too? Let's see how they feel about having their names and salaries made known to their neighbors, families, co-workers, etc. It's one thing to have an idea that someone makes more than you but to have it made public for no good reason and shoved in your face like the Examiner did is inexcusable.
58 agree | 44 disagree
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C.M. Azevedo, Baltimore said:
WHAT IS YOUR POINT WITH ALL THIS???? So, you seem to have a fetish for publishing the salaries and overtime budgets of municiple agencies as you round-robin the state. You seem to do nothing more than point a finger and go "LOOKIE HERE!" So....what is your point? I see no questions asked, no position stated, no social statement other than look at how much money all these folks make. THAT'S JOURNALISM???? Get real. This is tabloid garbage. Good thing I don't have to pay to read this stuff. Sounds like you folks need some 10th grade help. Let me start you off with something to find out, ok? Investigate: How the welfare state and the shifting cultural trend towards Americans refusing to take responsibility for neither themselves nor their children, NOR their actions results in massive overtime budgets for municiple emergency service agencies. That's not the whole ball of wax, but it's a good start! Now how about earning your wages for once???
68 agree | 65 disagree
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