The second round of drug-free zones created by D.C. police officials expired Monday morning, with first arrests made over the course of five days.
D.C. police said that three arrests were made at a drug-free zone set up in the Trinidad neighborhood between Raum Street and Mount Olivet Road in Northeast over the five days.
The zones were designed by police to deter crime in certain areas.
The arrests were made for carrying a pistol without a license (two guns were recovered), possession with intent to distribute cocaine and failure to disperse, which can carry $300 fine or six months in jail, police said.
There were no arrests at the drug-free zone set up in Petworth in Northwest, as well as zones in the Minnesota Avenue-Benning Road area, Woodland Terrace in Southeast, and in the Gallery Place-Chinatown area, which were the first three drug-free zones set up last week.
The drug-free zones were authorized by sweeping anti-crime legislation that was approved by the D.C. Council and signed into law earlier this month. Police said the measure is a tool “to help communities reclaim their public spaces.”
In designated drug-free zones, police can require people gathering in groups of two or more to leave the area, if they are believed to be involved in illegal drug activity. Anyone who refuses to leave after the first warning is subject to arrest.
The drug-free zones are declared by the police chief and will be chosen based on the number of drug arrests, the number of calls for service, and the violent crime rate in that particular area. A drug-free zone is limited to five days and it cannot exceed 1,000 square feet.
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