Can we win the battle for America's streets?

• Author: Dixon, Sharon Pratt
• Position: The United States of Violence: A Special Section - Cover Story

Voters participating in the 1993 off-year elections across the nation sent a clear and unequivocal message to their leadership regarding public safety - develop creative solutions to restore law a order to neighborhood streets, even if costs us extra tax dollars. Voters in A zona and Texas have imposed addition taxes upon themselves to add prison be and finance more police officers on community foot patrols. Picking up on the cit zens'desire for immediate action, Congress doubled the amount of funding request by Pres. Clinton for his anti-crime bill.

In March, 1993, I conducted public safety town hall meetings throughout m city to hear what steps the citizens would have its mayor and council take to reduce violent crime. After reviewing the recommendations and incorporating some practical cal suggestions from the police department, I presented a comprehensive 16-point Violence Reduction Strategy to the people of Washington.

None of the objectives in the strategy received as much international attention (and local citizen support) as Objective Number 7 - "Increase the level of support and expand the role of the National Guard in local law enforcement and crime prevention activities." Because D.C. has many o the responsibilities of a state but none o the powers, I was required to seek presidential or Congressional authority to use th National Guard in this manner. The President responded to my request indicating he could not legally delegate his presidential authority, but was "sympathetic" and promised to support legislation introduced in Congress to give the Mayor authority over the D.C. National Guard.

As the newspapers conjured up images of M-16-toting citizen-soldiers, riding in Bradley fighting vehicles down neighborhood streets, I had more modest uses for the Guard's capabilities in mind, primarily in drug interdiction:

* Special lighting in communities experiencing high levels of drug trafficking.

* Aerial, surface, and ground surveillance and reconnaissance in support of drug enforcement operations.

* Support in bricking and boarding of abandoned property as identified by the courts and/or the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) as havens for drug dealing.

* Technical and administrative assistance in support of special projects undertaken by the MPD. (The National Guard currently is assisting the MPD in vehicle maintenance.)

* Supporting a community program for children and youth at risk which focuses on teaching citizenship, drug...