The Washington Times

SIMMONS: In the dark is nowhere to be about crime information

The use of any new technology opens the door to possible human error and frustration. That definitely is what’s at play in the nation’s capital, where Ms. Noble quoted a veteran officer as saying I/Leads is neither “user-friendly” nor “intuitive.”

The city is experiencing lower homicide rates, as officials recently announced, and that is truly good news (and let’s pray it continues).

Gathering, disseminating and sharing accurate daily, weekly, monthly and yearly crime information equals credibility. As things stand now, the department is blocking the public’s view.

So, correct me if I’m wrong, but because taxpayers pay for D.C. police services, don’t they all have a right to know if tourists are being targeted for robberies, if a band of roving homophobes is preying on transgender people or a violent lot of youths has their eyes trained on Christmas shoppers?

Who is man enough to, ahem, hail the chief on this one?

Deborah Simmons can be reached at dsimmons@washingtontimes.com.

© Copyright 2013 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.

About the Author
Deborah Simmons

Deborah Simmons

Award-winning opinion writer Deborah Simmons is a senior correspondent who reports on City Hall and writes about education, culture, sports and family-related topics. Mrs. Simmons has worked at several newspapers, and since joining The Washington Times in 1985, has served as editorial-page editor and features editor and on the metro desk. She has taught copy editing at the University of ...

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