Officers patrol outside Nationals Park on Thursday in D.C. The Metropolitan Police Department will post 70 officers near the stadium to help with security during home games, saying it will not affect the department’s ability to cover the rest of the city. – Andrew Harnik/Examiner

Scott McCabe, The Examiner
2008-03-28 07:00:00.0
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The Metropolitan Police Department will spend about $1.2 million to provide security at Nationals games, nearly doubling its presence from last year while assigning officers from around the city to ballpark duty, officials said.

With two days to go until President Bush throws out the first pitch at the opening game, D.C. police officials were wrapping up their security strategy for the 82-game season.

At least 50 officers will patrol the area near the stadium at every game, up from roughly half that number a year ago, officials said.

Adding to the challenge of protecting and moving up to 41,888 people in and out of the Near Southeast neighborhood, the police department will be responsible for paying the cost of the presence.

In the past, the department billed the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission for the detail, though the failing sports agency still owes nearly $2 million for the previous seasons at RFK Stadium.

D.C. Councilman Phil Mendelson said he was concerned that taxpayers were footing the costs of the security, and he was trying to get answers about what costs were being absorbed by the police department.

“I don’t like the idea of taking officers out of the neighborhoods and off the streets,” Mendelson said. “They’re being taken away from something that they would otherwise be doing.”

The Special Operations Division will deploy about 40 officers a game, up from 25 last year, at least early in the season as fans and the District grow accustomed to the movement of large crowds in and out of the Near Southeast neighborhood, said Assistant Chief Patrick Burke, who oversees the unit.

Officers will be drawn from other assignments around the District to fill out the roster of 50 or more officers assigned to the games. But none will be from the city’s patrol units, Burke said.

Special officers will help with traffic flow and crowd control and help patrol the neighborhoods during the game, he said. About a fourth of the officers will be pulled from administrative staff.

Cmdr. David Kamperin, head of the First District where the stadium sits, has also created 10 crime beats to patrol the neighborhoods around the ballpark. The beats will be filled by administrative staff, auto theft units and the public outreach unit, he said.

The assignments will not adversely affect his units’ policing capacity, he said.

“Sometimes we have to wear a couple of hats,” Kamperin said.

smccabe@dcexaminer.com