WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Safety Go Teams are patrolling more than two dozen neighborhoods in D.C.
The goal is to de-escalate situations in hopes of decreasing gun violence and firework-related incidents. There will be an increased police presence throughout the District but volunteers are crucial too.
The Safety Go Teams are focused on keeping 28 hotspot neighborhoods safe. The night before Independence Day, fireworks were already going off in the District.
While D.C. Police are responding to dangerous cases, The District’s Safety Go Teams are on the ground monitoring nearly 30 neighborhoods.
“We’re just making sure the street’s safe tonight. Everything good? My man,” said volunteer Norwood Collins Jr., speaking with a local business owner.
Collins can’t stop everything, but he’s trying to keep kids safe, especially around fireworks.
“Make sure they don’t throw them in the trash cans and don’t throw them at nobody else, basically, stuff like that,” Collins said.
The job of the Safety Go Teams is to engage with neighbors, provide information and resources, and to help de-escalate any conflicts or negative activities.
Each team consists of at least eight people who don’t work in law enforcement, including government employees, community partners, credible messengers, and violence interrupters.
“We understand right here was a high crime area at one time so we’re making sure, you know, kids is safe and the seniors, and the people, Washingtonians period, and we been around here, and once they see us, they understand we don’t have nothing negative going on,” Collins said.
The Bowser administration has used these teams successfully since 2020.
They will be out Tuesday, July 4 from 4 p.m. to midnight.
As a reminder, fireworks that move, explode, or fly are illegal in D.C.
If you want to report illegal fireworks, call 311, not 911, to keep emergency lines free.
The best advice is to watch the professional displays throughout the area, including on the National Mall.
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