Michael Neibauer, The Examiner
2006-11-14 10:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

WASHINGTON -

Police commanders from both the District and Montgomery County have pledged more officers to patrol Friendship Heights, which straddles both jurisdictions, during the busy shopping season.

On Montgomery’s side of Western Avenue, two officers regularly assigned to the Bethesda bicycle patrol will be shifted to Friendship Heights Monday through Saturday.

In the District, additional Segway officers will be wheeling through the bustling community, said Metropolitan Police Department 2nd District Commander Andrew Solberg.

“You will see an increased presence and visibility down here,” said Commander Wayne Jerman of Bethesda Police.

The two jurisdictions, which provide mutual aid across the border on request, are working to improve their communication and bi-agency training, Jerman said Friday during a meeting with the Friendship Heights Public Safety Committee, a consortium of residents, business leaders and first responders.

A key concern of the committee is police presence in the community, home to a growing residential community and upscale shopping corridor featuring Neiman Marcus, Versace, Tiffany & Co., Louis Vitton and other upscale retail, in addition to a Ritz-Carlton hotel.

There is no police substation in the District’s Friendship Heights. There is a small space for officers two blocks off Western in Maryland, but because Montgomery police respond only to Montgomery incidents, and vice versa in the District, it makes little sense to position D.C. police there, Jerman said.

“We would like a little bit more automatic aid, because what we want is the closest unit to arrive on the spot,” said Anne Renshaw, the public safety committee chair. “I certainly understand and feel the political boundaries that wrap themselves around response. And I don’t like that.”

mneibauer@dcexaminer.com