On December 27th, the VNSTA wrote a letter appealing a recent decision by the Freedom of Information Office of the DC Metropolitan Police, which denied a FOIA request by VNSTA for analyses of crime in the Van Ness area.

Public records on the MPD’s Crime Cards website suggest that crime has risen sharply in PSA 203, which includes Van Ness, over the past three in comparison to the prior three years.

The FOIA, originally submitted on December 14, requests existing MPD data and analyses that track crime in PSA 203 in comparison to crime in other parts of the city.

The letter of appeal, rejection letter and FOIA can be found at this link.

The text of the appeal can also be found below:

December 27, 2021

The Mayor’s Office of Legal Counsel
FOIA Appeal
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Suite 407
Washington, D.C. 20004

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing on behalf of the Van Ness South Tenants Association, which represents the residents of 3003 Van Ness Street, N.W., to appeal the decision by the Metropolitan Police Department Freedom of Information Act Office to reject our FOIA request for crime statistics and analyses of Police Service Area (PSA) 203.

FOIA request 2022-FOIA-01993 was filed on Dec. 14, 2021, and the rejection was issued on Dec. 21, 2021. Both the request and the rejection are attached.

The rejection incorrectly claims that the original request is for new analyses of crime statistics by the Metropolitan Police Department, stating that:

“DC Code §§ 2-531-539, provides that while a person has the right to request access to existing records, it does not require agencies to do research, analyze data, answer written questions, or create records to respond to a FOIA request.”

However, the initial request by VNSTA asks only for existing MPD data or analyses of crime statistics for PSA 203.” It specifically states:

“VNSTA requests both summary analyses of these data in numerical form, and written analyses by MPD that were shared with any other body in the administration.” (Emphasis added)

The impetus for the request is public MPD data on its Crime Cards website, which shows a spike in crime in PSA 203 over the last three years compared to the prior three years. This stands in sharp to almost every other PSA in the city, where crime has dropped substantially during the same period. In fact, the increase in crime in PSA 203 was by far the worst in the District of Columbia.

The Metropolitan Police Department certainly is aware of these stark trends, and MPD likely already informed the office of the Mayor and other departments in the administration. The Van Ness South Tenants Association therefore requests data and analyses that very likely already exist.

The fact that crime appears to substantially increase in PSA 203, while it substantially decreases almost everywhere else, is a legitimate public concern. Citizens have more greater access to existing crime statistics and MPD analyses that would shed light on these trends.

Sincerely yours,

Harry Gural
President, Van Ness South Tenants Association