Judiciary & Public Safety Public Hearing

COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY AND PUBLIC SAFETY BROOKE PINTO, CHAIR REVISED & ABBREVIATED NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING on B25-478, THE “IMPROVING SAFETY AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE ON TRANSIT CORRIDORS ACT OF 2023” B25-483, THE “SAFE COMMERCIAL CORRIDORS AMENDMENT ACT OF 2023” and B25-537, THE “WHOLE GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO CRIME ACT OF 2023” Monday, December 11, 2023 12:00 p.m. In the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Room 500 and virtually via Zoom To watch live: Councilmember Pinto’s YouTube Page (www.youtube.com/@cmbrookepinto) DC Council Website (dccouncil.gov) Council Channel 13 (Cable Television Providers) Office of Cable Television Website (entertainment.dc.gov) On Monday, December 11, 2023, Councilmember Brooke Pinto, Chairwoman of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, will hold a hearing on Bill 25-478, the “Improving Safety and Emergency Response on Transit Corridors Act of 2023”, Bill 25-483, the “Safe Commercial Corridors Amendment Act of 2023”, and Bill 25-357, the “Whole Government Response to Crime Act of 2023”. Bill 25-478, the Improving Safety and Emergency Response on Transit Corridors Act of 2023, would require the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice (DMPSJ), in consultation with the district Department of Transportation (DDOT), Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and the Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD), to establish a two-year demonstration program to install emergency communication and video surveillance systems across the city, starting with at least one station in each ward. At each site, DMPSJ would install an emergency communication station (often known as “blue lights”) and video surveillance technology at various locations at or near bus stops, streetcar stops, train stations, or other public spaces along transit corridors. The emergency communication station would have a bright blue or other colored light to increase visibility of the station and a call button to allow a user to directly connect with emergency response services. Continuous video surveillance technology would also be connected to the station or placed near it to allow for video to be captured. This would help law enforcement and first responders to both prevent offenses and aid in the identification of any perpetrators of criminal offenses. Bill 25-478 would also require DMPSJ to collect and compile data on the project for a report to the Council at the end of the two-year demonstration. Bill 25-483, the Safe Commercial Corridors Amendment Act of 2023, would give DMPSJ limited grantmaking authority to establish an expanded Safe Commercial Corridors Grant Program that provides flexible funds directly to local leaders in our commercial corridors, like Business Improvement Districts and Main Streets, to implement proven and innovative public safety solutions. Some possible uses of this funding are increased public safety patrols, improved lighting to deter crime, and enhancements to violence prevention efforts. Bill 25-483 would also expand the Safe Commercial Corridors Pilot Program established through the Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Support Act to allow grants to be distributed District-wide. Bill 25-357, the Whole Government Response to Crime Act of 2023, includes a number of provisions, the stated purpose of which is to fill gaps within the District’s public safety system. These proposals include: • Requiring the Mayor to collect and publish firearm tracing data. • Requiring the Office of Neighborhood Safety and Engagement to development and track performance metrics that measure the effectiveness of violence reduction programs and publicly publish the data. • Establishing the position of Victim Services Coordinator within the Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants to coordinate with the Metropolitan Police Department’s Victim Services Branch and Hospital-based Violence Intervention Programs. • Creating a recruitment and retention program at the Department of Forensic Sciences. • Creating a 911 System Improvement Task Force to examine the effectiveness of the Office of Unified Communications’ 911 system. • Establishing the position of Director of Emerging Adult Services to coordinate and lead the implementation of the Youth Rehabilitation Act and related citywide efforts. • Creating an Engaging Hospitality in Crime Prevention Working Group to recommend actions the District and the hospitality industry can take to reduce and prevent crime in the District and the District’s commercial corridors. The Committee invites the public to testify. Those who wish to do so must register using the Council’s Hearing Management System at https://lims.dccouncil.gov/hearings by 10:00 a.m. on Friday, December 8. Witnesses who represent organizations will have 5 minutes to speak. All others will have 3 minutes to speak. Witnesses will have the option to testify in person or virtually; witnesses should specify which option they are electing at the time they sign up to testify. Witnesses who anticipate needing spoken language interpretation, or who require sign language interpretation, are requested to inform the Committee office of the need as soon as possible, but no later than 5 business days before the proceeding. We will make every effort to fulfill timely requests, although alternatives may be offered. Requests may be submitted via the Hearing Management System during registration or by contacting Ms. Aukima Benjamin, Committee Manager to the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, at (202) 724-8058 or 2 via e-mail at judiciary@dccouncil.gov. Requests received less than 5 business days before the proceeding may not be fulfilled. Witnesses will receive instructions on how to participate by Zoom prior to the hearing. If you have additional questions, please contact the Committee Manager at the phone number or e-mail listed above. If you are unable to testify at the public hearing, written statements are encouraged and will be made a part of the official record; written testimony should be submitted through the Council’s Hearing Management System at https://lims.dccouncil.gov/hearings. Testimony will be publicly accessible following Committee review. The record will close at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 26, 2023. This hearing notice is revised to reflect that the hearing will now begin at 12:00 p.m., not 10:00 a.m. This hearing notice is abbreviated due to the fact that the hearing was already formally noticed when it was originally scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. 3