Officials Acknowledge Roosevelt Park Drug Dealing

Deputy Maj. Richard Worley told residents at the Hampden Community Council the department is aware of drug dealing in Roosevelt Park, and are moving to address the problem.

During the council’s meeting Monday night, residents told Worley they were tired of seeing drug dealing—which they said was primarily of prescription pills—in an area designed for families to enjoy.

Worley told residents that a spate of violent crimes in the Northern District has diverted manpower, but that police are checking the park, and that he has driven through Roosevelt himself at night to make sure it was clear.

"We never had a problem with that park [before]," Worley said.

Councilman Nick Mosby, in a telephone interview Tuesday morning, said he has spoke with Major Sabrina Tapp-Harper, Northern District commander, and Worley about the drug dealing in the park.

"They’re developing a strategy of essentially beefing up the patrols," Mosby said.

He said so far he hasn’t been informed of any significant arrest around the drug dealing in the park, and said police haven’t given a specific reason as to why the park had suddenly become a magnet for dealers.

Despite some residents blaming the problems on a Falls Road methadone clinic, Mosby said he believes the problems with the clinic and the dealing in the park are unrelated.

"It’s one of the major issues we face in our communities is drug dealing," Mosby.     

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