CRIME AND VIOLENCE

THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 1968

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

SPECIAL INVESTIGATING SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, Washington, D.C. The Special Investigating Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:05 a.m., in Room 1310, Longworth House Office Building, Honorable John Dowdy (Chairman of the Special Investigating Subcommittee) presiding.

Present: Representatives Dowdy (presiding), and Broyhill.

Also present: James T. Clark, Clerk; Hayden S. Garber, Counsel; Sara Watson, Assistant Counsel; Leonard O. Hilder, Investigator, and Donald Tubridy, Minority Clerk.

Mr. Dowdy. The Special Investigating Subcommittee has been called today to receive testimony from several representative groups in Washington with respect to crime and violence in the District of Columbia. The District of Columbia Committee has received over recent months many calls, letters and complaints from businessmen and Government employees, private employees and other citizens of Washington, with respect to the breakdown of law and order here in the District.

The Committee thought that it would be enlightening and helpful to hear the firsthand experiences of some of the local businessmen and citizens, and perhaps also receive their recommendations as to further appropriate steps which the Committee and the Congress might take to alleviate the distressingly unsafe conditions in the District.

We are pleased to have our colleague, Mr. Machen of Maryland, with us this morning. I know you were particularly interested in having this hearing. I am sorry that other matters that we have had hearings on in the Committee have prevented us from getting to it earlier.

We will be pleased to hear you.

STATEMENT OF HON. HERVEY G. MACHEN, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF MARYLAND

Mr. MACHEN. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you for scheduling this hearing in response to my letter of May 24, asking that additional witnesses be heard on the crime situation in the District of Columbia. The witnesses who will appear, I believe will represent a real cross section of your involved citizens and business and working community and government employees.

I have met with drivers from the D.C. Transit Company and their wives. I have had numerous calls and letters from employees of the Government Printing Office and I have had numerous conversations with City businessmen. I will not take the subcommittee's time by explaining in detail what occurred at these meetings. However, I would like to emphasize some conclusions I have drawn from them.

First, they feel that the policemen's hands are tied. They feel that if the policeman is a little too aggressive in performing his function of protecting the public he will be chastized by trial boards and other administrative actions.

Secondly they are critical of the court system here where a large backlog exists, allowing arrested persons out on personal bond or bail for long periods of time before trial, many continuances, and subsequent probation which allows them once again to strike at the public. Recently I have become increasingly disturbed by the association of high ranking D.C. officials with such extremist groups at the Black United Front. While irresponsible statements by this group calling the murder of a policeman "justifiable homicide" might be protected by the constitutional guarantee of free speech, I do not believe D.C. gov ernment officials connected with such groups can be impartial and fair in carrying on city business as long as they belong to both groups. Such officials should either resign from the government or cease promoting the aims of such organizations.

When the present D.C. Government was appointed, I was hopeful that after a short time they would begin to take prompt and affirmative action towards solving the city's problems. Some advances have been made but they have failed miserably to maintain law and order. I realize that to solve some problems we need sociological solutions. HowI also know that law and order must come first. This must be the cornerstone on which we can build a better society for all the people of the District of Columbia.

ever,

I am also disturbed that the City Government has not openly opposed proposals which have been made to let private citizens take over the Police Department. The Police Department must not be run by a plebiscite of the citizens. It must be operated by dedicated individuals whose job it is to enforce the law quickly, decisively and fairly. Police morale is now very, very low. I believe the inaction on the part of the D.C. Government will erode it even further if prompt action is not taken to quash proposals for neighborhood control of the police. I believe the police have got to regain the feeling that they will be backed up by all echelons of government in their effective enforcement of the law.

In conclusion, I want to indicate that I hope as a result of these hearings the Committee will consider whether additional legislation may be needed to combat the rising crime rate in the District. I also hope that D.C. Government is now on notice that neither we in the Congress nor the residents of the City condone the lack of law and order we see evidenced in the District. Prompt and effective law enforcement must be the first priority. Once this has been achieved then the city can move ahead to solve such other problems as stabilizing business and encouraging people to remain in the District rather than join the exodus to the suburbs. Only with prompt and effective law en

forcement will the city once again become the pride of the Nation and no longer a national disgrace.

I know time is short, Mr. Chairman. We have furnished a list of witnesses, and I think we will furnish you the fears that are in the minds of so many of the problem that is being compounded. We know that business, restaurant business, at night is substantially down because people will not come into the District. We know that businesses are moving out because of intimidation and threats, these types of things that to me are just tearing the guts out of the city, so to speak, and I think all of us have been trying to help in promoting the Nation's Capital that we are all proud of without regard to race, color, or anything else, and it is unfortunate and tragic, in my opinion, that there has been built up in the minds of so many of the people from all walks of life and all colors, all races, this feeling of hopelessness.

When you talk to these various groups, you talk to them in private, I am an attorney and certainly I wouldn't present before this Committee things that couldn't be substantiated, but when you talk about some of the things that there is just a sense of frustration, whether they are policemen, whether they are bus drivers, whether they are business people or whether they are people who just want to come down and they are not-statistics will show more and more of your businesses are going to your shopping centers, people are coming out of the District to shop in your suburban shopping centers. So it something no one wants to get hysterical about and I don't think many of us are, but I think all echelons of government should recognize the seriousness of the problem and not say the answer has got to come in one direction of just money alone. It has got to come with a feeling of a sense of security and a sense of pride and responsibility being built back into the police department, and I am very, very apprehensive of many of the statements and I am sure you will be when you hear the testimony.

I thank you again very much with the busy schedule all of you have for scheduling this hearing to let this segment, cross section, of the community have an opportunity to present their views.

I thank you very much.

Mr. DowDY. I appreciate your comments and I appreciate your

statement.

I well know the things to which you refer. I have talked with members of the Police Board about the restrictions that were placed on them in April, when the riots were going on here. Of course, they would lose their jobs if they were publicly to state the restrictions put on them, and I know their superiors have denied it, but they were ordered not to arrest anybody. People in business here in town, one that comes to mind, when his place, the front was knocked out of it and women drove up their cars and husbands would get out and pick up arm-loads of clothes and bring them out, and policemen were standing there, and the man begged them to make them quit. One of them said "We are under orders and we can't do anything about it." That is responsible for what happened here.

Mr. MACHEN. Mr. Chairman, I have been very careful in presenting my testimony, that the point I am trying to make is that whether they say it is true or not, and your higher District officials do deny it and I am not accusing them of it, but whether it is or is not true in the minds of the rank and file of the cross segments of your community,

I don't care whether it is your business community, the government employee, the Government Printing Office or what, there is that feeling that it is true. So one way or the other it has got to be corrected. Mr. DOWDY. No doubt about it.

Mr. MACHEN. That is the point I make, and I think just what you mention, businessmen, we will have some of them and you will have some bus drivers telling you the same thing, here is a man, “I am sorry. I can't do anything about it." I again offer my help as a suburban Congressman concerned with the whole metropolitan area, not trying to point the finger at any one individual but hopeful that there could be better cooperation in solving these problems and not some of them ostrich-like sticking their heads in the sand or feeling the problem will go away or it has got to be done their way or else. I think that is wrong. We have to do it from a cooperative standpoint.

Mr. DowDY. Sure, your District is a part of the area and this sort of thing spreads out. The area, you read the newspapers, has got so bad that you have almost a daily bank robbery. This shows the criminal element has decided that there is going to be no attempt to apprehend them or prosecute them if they are apprehended, it is a very serious situation.

Mr. MACHEN. I think better than turn the key over to them we should turn the key on them.

Mr. Dowdy. And keep it turned. The criminals in the District of Columbia are supported at so many levels; even one of in the newspapers here, in an editorial a few days ago, the Washington PostMr. MACHEN. I read that.

Mr. Dowdy. This editorial stated a person could make a name for himself by killing a deserving Senator or Member of Congress-the editorialist didn't name who he thought deserved to be killed-but statements such as that are inflammatory. It is hard to find words to describe the irresponsibility of an editorial writer who would recommend such a thing as killing any person. A man who would write such an editorial, recommending that his readers become assassins, should be bored for the simples.

Mr. MACHEN. I thank you.

I believe the next witness, Mr. Chairman, is the President of the Metropolitan Washington Board of Trade, Mr. Calomiris, whom I have known for many years, very prominent in business circles and I am sure you will be very interested in hearing what he has to say. Mr. Dowdy. All right, Mr. Calomiris.

STATEMENT OF WILLIAM CALOMIRIS, PRESIDENT, METROPOLITAN WASHINGTON BOARD OF TRADE

Mr. CALOMIRIS. Thank you.

Mr. Chairman, we appreciate having this opportunity to make a brief statement on behalf of the Metropolitan Washington Board of Trade respecting the lawlessness in the District of Columbia.

Understandably the Board of Trade for many years has been concerned with the maintenance of law and order here in the Nation's Capital since that is an essential ingredient of developing and operat ing a community attractive to visitors and new businesses. Our Com mittee on Public Order was established in 1896 and has been an integral

active segment of our activities ever since. During the last several years, as Washington's crime rates have gotten ever greater, our concerns and activities have intensified annually.

The Board of Trade has devoted its resources toward curbing crime in the Nation's Capital by offering and supporting proposals which we believe would enable our police and our courts to maintain law and order. Let me express appreciation to the District of Columbia Committee which has responded affirmatively respecting most legislative matters brought before it aimed at reducing lawlessness in this city. Very briefly, we have supported legislation to increase the salaries paid and the strength of the Metropolitan Police Department.

We have backed legislation to increase the salaries and the number of judges in the Court of General Sessions. We have asked the Chief Justice and the Chief Judge of this judicial circuit to endeavor to secure visiting Federal judges to help dispose of the backlogs which have been built up.

We support legislation to increase the number of Juvenile Court judges.

We are supporting legislation which will expand the District Attorney's office to more expeditiously handle the many cases awaiting court action.

We are endeavoring to strengthen the U.S. Marshal's office and all related court functions in order that justice may be administered more speedily.

I am sure all of us will agree that justice delayed is usually justice denied.

We vigorously supported enactment of the Ominbus Crime Bill developed and adopted by this Committee and the Congress and recently signed by the President.

We are now seeking adjustment of features of the Bail Bond Act which make it possible for dangerous criminals to roam the streets and commit additional crimes after being charged in other serious

cases.

I have met with the Federal Judges of this jurisdiction and offered to assist them in every possible way to reduce the backlogs and to secure additional facilities which are clearly needed.

Mr. Chairman, I recite this list of activities the Board of Trade is engaged in merely to demonstrate to the Committee that the Board of Trade and the business community is so concerned with criminal activity that it is devoting its attention to every possible factor which could contribute to sky rocketing criminal statistics in the Nation's Capital. Never has the need for legislation and citizen support to curb lawlessness been more urgent, as indicated by the tremendous increase of all types of crimes of violence during the last eight years.

I am sure you recognize that chambers of commerce and boards of trade engaged in attracting visitors and new payrolls to their communities rarely refer to city problems but rather speak only of their attractive and superior features. When we comment publicly about problems you may be sure they are ones we consider to be extremely and extraordinarily serious.

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