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Office of Public Safety
The Mission of the Office of Public Safety is the prevention of crime, the protection of life and property, and the preservation of peace and safety in and around public housing in the District of Columbia.
The Office of Public Safety (OPS) was created in 1995 to increase security for residents of public housing through a grassroots approach to community policing. Pursuant to D.C. Law 13-92, effective April 12, 2000, the jurisdictional boundaries of the OPS are “….concurrent with that of the Metropolitan Police Department and coextensive with the territorial boundaries of the District of Columbia.” Thus, sworn members of the OPS have the power to execute any traffic citation or any criminal process, misdemeanor or felony, issued by any court of the District of Columbia or any such offense against District of Columbia laws, ordinances, rules or regulations.
The Office of Public Safety is one of only eleven housing authority police departments in the nation.
Organization and Structure
The OPS is a fully operational 24-hour police force which covers fixed security stations and conducts security patrols throughout the city’s public housing developments. Headed by Chief of Police William L. Pittman, the OPS is staffed with:
Sworn police officers who have full jurisdiction to make arrests throughout the District of Columbia;
Special police officers Commissioned by the Mayor of the District of Columbia to have full arrest powers on DCHA properties;
Resident monitors who screen visitors at DCHA developments; and
Civilian administrative support personnel.
Chief of Police
William L. Pittman is currently the Chief of Police for the District of Columbia Housing Authority Police Department (DCHAPD). Chief Pittman served for twenty-five years as a member of the Metropolitan Police Department, Washington, D.C.
Chief Pittman joined the Office of Public Safety at DCHA in 1996 as a lieutenant and was appointed Chief of Police in 2004, after the reitrement of Madison Jenkins.
Chief Pittman, who graduated from George Mason University with a degree in Law Enforcement, is also a Reservist Sgt. Major for the U.S. Army.
His top priority is improve the quality of life for the residents of public housing by forging and maintaining partnerships with resident councils, housing management staff, and other law enforcement agencies, and by implementing customized community policing strategies.
With the organization of public housing into three regions (Potomac, Anacostia and Rock Creek), the OPS staff works closely with the regional Housing Administrators as well as resident councils in the development and implementation of a wide variety of strategic response measures and resident safety programs.
Close partnerships are also forged with other law enforcement agencies and community organizations to improve safety and the quality of life for residents.
Crime Reduction Strategies
To increase safety and improve the quality of life in and around public housing, the OPS employs various tactical methods including, but not limited to the following:
Uniform Tactical Patrols: Involves constant visible movement of officers throughout an area to generate a sense of police presence, observation of street activity, vehicle and pedestrian stops, and citizen contact. (Effective in controlling suppressible crimes such as robberies, vehicle thefts and burglaries.)
Bike Patrols: Promotes community policing by increasing the mobility and visibility of officers on some of the larger public housing developments. (The use of bikes enables police officers to pursue criminal suspects in alleys and in areas that are not accessible to vehicles.)
Decoy Operations: Used to apprehend suspects for targeted crimes, such as prostitution, robberies, and thefts from automobiles.
Physical and Electronic Stakeouts: Involves the covert placement of officers inside or in the immediate vicinity of an establishment where a crime pattern has been detected.
Suspect and Area Surveillance: Targets persons suspected of being involved in a criminal activity, such as the distribution of narcotics and thefts from automobiles parked on DCHA developments.
Special Operations
Special operations are conducted to address some of the more prevalent issues which have had a negative effect on the quality of life in public housing. Listed below are a few examples.
Operation SNIP (Surveillance Narcotics Intervention Program): Use of narcotics recognition canines to patrol public housing developments as a means of detecting illegal drugs and discouraging drug dealing on DCHA sites.
Operation Bark and Bite: Facilitates the removal of dogs from the premises of residents who have not received approval (i.e., via special accommodation pursuant to provisions under the American Disabilities Act) to have a dog in the household.
Operation Zip-Lock: Focuses on the recovery of drug paraphernalia being sold by local merchants, especially “zip-lock” bags. (Makes it inconvenient for illegal drug dealers to purchase paraphernalia and puts store owners on notice that the OPS is watching.)
Operation Shoe Drop: Focuses on the removal of tennis shoes hanging from power and other utility lines on public housing properties. (Tennis shoes are hung as a remembrance of individuals who met their death by violent means.)
Operation Hook and Tow: Focuses on the removal of abandoned vehicles from public housing developments.
Operation Fight Back: Involves the gathering of information from various law enforcement entities regarding criminal activity committed by residents or their guests in or around public housing developments. (Leads to eviction action and sends a clear message that criminal activity will not be tolerated.)
Community Policing Programs
A vital part of community policing is the involvement and active participation of public housing residents in the development and implementation of safety policies and programs, and other activities that focus on crime prevention.
The OPS members attend resident council meetings on a regular basis as active participants in problem-solving initiatives and to continue the promotion of community policing. As a result, resident watch and other programs have been established and will be expanded and/or enhanced in the near future.
On a regular basis, the OPS officers assigned to various public housing developments organize youth basketball teams to compete against each other. This activity has been successful in building bridges of communication and companionship, thereby reducing the potential for youths to engage in criminal or destructive behavior.