Norton Gets Capitol Police on the Mall - July 26, 2006
Norton Gets Capitol Police on the Mall, Return of Park Police to D.C. Parks And Lighting for Dark Areas
July 26, 2006
Washington, DC-Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today announced action on all her concerns aboutthe Mall attacks, the U.S. Park Police and the National Park Service (NPS), with the result that Park Police no longer will borrow officers from hard pressed D.C. parks, such as Anacostia Park and Rock Creek Park, to cover the Mall, andadditional lighting on the National Mall will be installed. Norton spoke with Park Police Chief Dwight Pettiford this afternoon, who alerted her that Capitol Police have agreed to her request for Capitol Police coverage of a section of the Mall beginning tomorrow night. Norton said that Capitol Police will be assigned to the Mall between 4th and 7th Streets from 10 pm to 2 am, seven days a week, when nighttime strollers are most likely to be present. The Mall officially closes at midnight. This assistance will free up more Park Police officers to be assigned to remaining Mall areas. In addition, Park Police horse teams will be on patrol until 9 pm. The Capitol Police assistance will be reevaluated at the end of September.
Turning her focus also to the immediate need for more lighting on the Mall, Norton today got assurances from top NPS officials that they would put in place a three-part remedy Norton requested to address her primary concerns: 1) Signage and temporary wooden barriers will steer visitors away from the unlighted, dark walkways along both sides of the reflecting pool tonight or tomorrow night until temporary lighting is installed; 2) Temporary lighting will be ordered for those walkways to be in place hopefully by September; and 3) NPS and Park Police personnel tonight will be sent to inspect the inadequate lighting between the Monument and the Sylvan Theatre, where two assaults occurred this month. Norton called NPS Director Fran Mainella yesterday to express her concerns about inadequate lighting that Norton saw during an inspection of the Mall Monday night. This morning, the Congresswoman received a call from Lisa Mendelson, Deputy Director of the NPS National Capital Region, who had been directed by Mainella to discuss immediate and long-term solutions.
Meanwhile, Congresswoman Norton is working with appropriators to secure the funding for permanent lighting and to assure survival of a $4.3 million increase in the Park Police budget now in the House bill and Senate appropriations subcommittee bill. These funds could produce more than two dozen new officers, the first in several years that have left the Park Police barely surviving normal attrition rates. Norton also is seeking funding for permanent lighting during the conference for the Interior Appropriations bill. This funding would be separate from the $4.3 million increase the Park Service is due to receive in the appropriation bill.
Norton said that even with the additional Capitol Police help, nothing can make up for dark spots where criminals can prey on possible victims. When she visited the section of the Mall between the Lincoln Memorial and the World War II Memorial, she witnessed people walking along the paths beside the reflecting pool in complete darkness. Mendelson agreed to Norton's request to keep visitors away from that area for their safety until lighted. Movable barricades, or sawhorses, will be placed there as early as tonight to block the dark walkways with signs posted directing visitors to use Constitution or Independence Avenues, where there are street lights.