(WASHINGTON, DC) – Today, at King Greenleaf Recreation Center, Mayor Bowser hosted the citywide kickoff of National Night Out, an annual community-building campaign to promote police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie. Each year, on the first Tuesday in August, the Mayor and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) host community events throughout the city that bring together law enforcement and community members and highlight public safety initiatives in Washington, DC. The Mayor was joined at the kickoff by Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen, MPD Chief Peter Newsham, the DC National Guard, and the United States Attorney’s Office.

“We are building a safer, stronger Washington, DC by standing together as a community, continuing to build trust in MPD, and recognizing that public safety and violence prevention are not just policing issues,” said Mayor Bowser. “National Night Out is an opportunity to celebrate the progress we have made while recommitting ourselves to the core DC values of fairness and equality, mutual respect and justice, and of looking out for our neighbors.” 

Following kickoff festivities at King Greenleaf, District leaders joined National Night Out events, including cookouts, athletic events, and block parties, across the city. Each event, organized by MPD staff and community leadership, offered residents the opportunity to learn about District programs and initiatives that make it easier for community members to work with MPD to build safer neighborhoods. The Mayor’s Office of Community Relations and Services also had representatives at each event to support residents and answers questions about District services. 

Today’s celebration, which marks the District’s 34th National Night Out, comes as Washington, DC continues to experience a decrease in crime. Year-to-date, the District has seen a 32 percent decrease in robberies, a 23 percent decrease in assaults with a dangerous weapon, an eight percent decrease in homicides, and a 26 percent decrease in burglaries. Overall, violent crime is down 26 percent. These reductions in crime follow a nine percent decrease in total crime during Mayor Bowser’s first two years in office.

“The reduction in violent crime can be attributed to several factors but it begins with the community partnerships that we continue to develop,” said Chief Newsham. “Events such as National Night Out provide us the opportunity to further engage with our neighbors in a positive atmosphere and is a step towards building a safer city.”  

Since 2015, the Bowser Administration has put in place a range of programs and policies to get illegal guns off the streets, increase accountability at MPD, improve the District’s criminal justice system, end cycles of community violence, and support returning citizens. In just the past year, MPD completed the full deployment of body-worn cameras to all patrol officers, transitioned to a sector policing model - a proactive community policing technique that improves accountability and performance by creating a single chain of command, and celebrated the Department’s Narcotic’s Enforcement Unit’s success in getting illegal drugs and unregistered guns off the streets. Additionally, in June, Mayor Bowser announced that her Administration was expanding the Private Security Camera Incentive Program by launching the Private Security Camera Voucher Program. Since launching the Incentive Program, the Administration has already funded nearly 6,000 private security cameras. Through the Private Security Camera Voucher Program, eligible residents are able to have a private security system installed on their property free of charge.