The featured speaker for the evening will be:
Commander Lamar Greene
Fifth District MPD
There will also be an MPD presentation re. the:
“Bias-Related Crimes Act of 1989”
And, there will be updates from the following committees:
Public Safety
Membership
Youth Services
Transportation
Environmental Services
Land Use, Planning and Economic Development
Monday, OCTOBER 1, 2007
Mount Sinai Baptist Church
3rd and Q Streets, N.W.
Rooms 1 and 2
7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.
For more information regarding the meeting and/or the Association,
please contact Jim Berry at (202) 387-8520 or at jamojam@msn.com
Community Update
By J. Berry, President
www.dcbaca.org
Recent Transition in Leadership at the Fifth District MPD – Commander Lamar D. Greene:
On September 23, 2007, MPD Police Chief Cathy Lanier announced a major restructuring of the police department. As this reorganization specifically pertains to us, a new commander has been assigned to lead the Fifth District. Commander Lamar D. Greene offers more than a decade of accomplishment and experience in the arena of law enforcement. He was a key contributor to the establishment of the MPD’s community policing efforts as they are known today. He supervised one of the first community policing beat pilot projects that helped lead to the development of Police Service Areas (PSA’s). Throughout Commander Greene’s career, he has served in the following areas: patrol services, investigative branches, executive protection, business services and the recruiting branch of the MPD. Commander Greene attained a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration at Saint Paul ’s College; he has completed the FBI LEEDA training program; and he has received various department awards, including the Lifesaving Medal and the Sustained Superior Performance Award.
What is a Hate Crime?:
A hate crime is a criminal offense committed against persons, property or society that is motivated, in whole or in part, by an offender’s bias against an individual’s or a group’s race, religion, ethnic/national origin, gender, age, disability or sexual orientation. Hate crimes include not only violence against individuals or groups but also crimes against property, such as arson or vandalism, particularly those directed against community centers or houses of worship.
The “Bias-Related Crimes Act of 1989:”
The hate crime statute in the District of Columbia , the Bias-Related Crime Act of 1989, 22 D.C. Code 3701 – 3704, is one of the most far-reaching and comprehensive hate crime statutes in the nation. It broadly defines a bias-related crime as a “designated act that demonstrates an accused’s prejudice based on the actual of perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, family responsibility, physical handicap, matriculation or political affiliation of a victim of the subject designated act.” A “designated act” is defined as a criminal act, including arson, assault, burglary, injury to property, kidnapping, manslaughter, murder, rape, robbery, theft or unlawful entry or attempting, aiding, abetting, advising, inciting, conniving or conspiracy to commit any of these criminal acts.
Under the statute, a person found guilty of committing a designated act with a bias-related motive is subject to a prison term and/or a fine that is 1.5 times higher than the maximum that could be imposed upon conviction of the designated act. In addition to the enhanced penalties for crimes motivated by hate, the statute also provides hate crime victims with the opportunity to seek civil damages from their victimizers.
Fifth District Police Citizens’ Advisory Council Awards Banquet: 10/18/2007
The Fifth District Police Citizen’s Advisory Council is hosting its annual awards banquet on the evening of Thursday, October 18, 2007, between the hours of 6:30 pm to 9:30 pm, at the Washington Navy Yard Catering and Conference Center , 6th and M Streets, SW. The purpose of the event is to honor the men and women of the Fifth District who have distinguished themselves from their colleagues over the past year. Mr. Chris Geldart, Director, Department of Homeland Security, Office of National Capital Region Coordination, is slated to be the featured speaker for the evening and Ms. Nikole Killion, former Anchor and Reporter for WJLA/News Channel 8, will serve as Mistress of Ceremonies. Tickets for this event are $40 dollars per person. If enough residents respond, a table of ten seats can and will be reserved in the name of the BACA. Importantly, tickets will also be available for purchase at the upcoming meeting.
Thought for the Month: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy!” – Martin Luther King, Jr.