On June 7, D.C. police set up checkpoints in the city’s predominantly Black Trinidad neighborhood in response to a recent spike in murders.
The police chief issued a directive allowing officers to record all license plates, verify addresses and ask for phone numbers. The checkpoints can expand to any neighborhood and will occur at random hours for five to 10 days.
Washington, D.C., already has more police than any other city in the nation. According to the Justice Department, the nationwide ratio of federal law enforcement to residents is 36 per 100,000. In D.C. it is 1,700 per 100,000. There are 1,600 Capitol Police assigned to the U.S. Congress—three officers for every legislator. (Washington Examiner, June 2)
