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How DC police hope to make it easier for some crime victims to stay in the loop – WTOP News

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How DC police hope to make it easier for some crime victims to stay in the loop – WTOP News


D.C. Police will be taking advantage of our reliance on cellphones and emails, with a little help of automation to keep some crime victims informed.

When you become the victim of a crime, a lot of the time you’re left to rely on a business card for the responding officer, and later a case number to jot down on a sheet of paper you then have to keep track of.

But now, at least for the victims of some crimes, D.C. Police will be taking advantage of our reliance on cellphones and emails, with a little help of automation.

A company the Metropolitan Police Department already uses to help with record management will now be utilized to send the victims of certain crimes text messages and emails updating them on certain aspects of their case.

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“The first text message — they’ll receive within 72 hours. That will memorialize the officer’s name that took the report, it will provide the report numbers and it will provide what the classification of the report was,” said Carlos Heraud, the Assistant Police Chief of the Investigative Services Bureau.

It will also have several website links that may assist a victim of a crime, Heraud added.

“The second email or text message they will get will be at the time that it gets assigned to a detective,” Heraud continued. “Again, that text message will provide the report numbers, the name of the detective, the contact information, email for the detective.”

A third text message or email will announce any arrest that police make.

Heraud stressed that this will be used to provide updates for the victims of most crimes around the city, though certainly not all of them.

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“I’d say almost all, because I think there’s some of the more serious offenses like sexual abuses or homicides, that we don’t want to, for a minute, think this is an acceptable means to communicate to victims [on] the progress of their case, or more importantly, when an arrest has been made,” he said.

“It’s extremely important that our detectives maintain that that person-to-person communication with the victim of a more serious offense,” he added.

But for things like property crimes, misdemeanor assaults or thefts, the hope is that this provides more convenience for the victim and less confusion for any officer who answers that victim’s phone call.

“They’ll have the detective’s email, they’ll have the phone number and email to our entire Criminal Investigations Division, so they can call and seek a follow up. But there won’t be a guessing game of where the offense occurred or what day it occurred,” Heraud said.

“They’ll have the report numbers handy to them. So anybody across Metro Police Department that answers a line should be able to look at those report numbers, at least give them a brief update, and then get a more comprehensive one from the detective.”

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Washington, D.C

India-US trade deal: Indian team reaches Washington DC for fresh round of talks; Donald Trump’s tariff deadline nears – Times of India

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India-US trade deal: Indian team reaches Washington DC for fresh round of talks; Donald Trump’s tariff deadline nears – Times of India


India and the United States aim to resolve disagreements in key sectors, particularly agriculture and automobiles. (AI image)

India-US trade deal: As US President Donald Trump’s fresh reciprocal tariff deadline of August 1, 2025 nears, a senior delegation from India’s Commerce and Industry Ministry has landed in Washington DC. The team will look to finalize an interim trade deal between India and the US.India and the United States aim to resolve disagreements in key sectors, particularly agriculture and automobiles, whilst working towards a mutually beneficial trade agreement.

India Pushes Bold Quad Vision in Washington, Jaishankar To Meet Marco Rubio | Operation Sindoor

The US administration under Trump has extended the deadline for implementing additional tariffs on various nations, including India, until August 1, providing extra time for negotiations beyond the initial July 9 cut-off date.Donald Trump has been on a tariff letter spending spree since last week, and has threatened high tariffs on over 20 countries. Notably, India has not received any such letter till now and Trump said last week that the US was nearing a trade deal with India.Also Read | India-US trade deal: Will Donald Trump go for less than 20% tariff rate for India? Top 10 developments to track

India-US Trade Deal Talks

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  • According to an ANI report, discussions on the mini or interim bilateral trade agreement (BTA) between India and the US are expected to start Monday morning (US time) and will span across four days.
  • The Chief Negotiator and Special Secretary of the Commerce Ministry, Rajesh Aggarwal, is scheduled to participate in the talks from Wednesday, the report said.
  • The early arrival of the preliminary team before the chief negotiator indicates a systematic approach, where initial talks will likely address agenda setting and procedural aspects, followed by detailed negotiations with senior officials.
  • A few days ago, a Bloomberg report quoting sources said that the US is working on a trade deal with India, in which America will impose a tariff rate of less than 20%. This would be lower than the 26% tariff rate announced by Trump on April 2.

India and the US have expressed interest in expanding their trade relationships and bolstering their economic collaboration through diversified partnerships.India maintains a significant trade relationship with the United States, which stands as one of its principal trading partners. American companies increasingly view India as a crucial market for their international expansion plans.Also Read | India-US trade deal: Opening India’s dairy sector to America could cause huge losses; ‘Rs 1.03 lakh crore annually…’An official statement last week confirmed that Indian negotiators would visit the United States to advance the ongoing trade discussions.Both nations have set a target to enhance their bilateral trade volume to $500 billion by 2030, with plans to establish a formal Bilateral Trade Agreement.Officials from India’s Department of Commerce have engaged in multiple discussions with their counterparts from the Office of the US Trade Representative to finalise a comprehensive trade agreement.





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‘We got to come out to vote as a people’: Early voting continues in special election in Ward 8 DC Council seat – WTOP News

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‘We got to come out to vote as a people’: Early voting continues in special election in Ward 8 DC Council seat – WTOP News


Early voting continues to fill the seat on the D.C. Council that Trayon White held before he was expelled in February by the council after being charged with taking bribes.

Residents went to the Anacostia Public Library Saturday to cast their ballots for the Ward 8 seat on the D.C. Council.
(WTOP/Jimmy Alexander)

WTOP/Jimmy Alexander

Ballot stations in Southeast DC
Additional ballot stations at the Anacostia Public Library.
(WTOP/Jimmy Alexander)

WTOP/Jimmy Alexander

Early voting sheet
The Board of Elections posted the numbers of early voting at Anacostia Public Library in Southeast D.C.
(WTOP/Jimmy Alexander)

WTOP/Jimmy Alexander

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Early voting continues to fill the seat on the D.C. Council that Trayon White held before he was expelled in February by the council after being charged with taking bribes.

Ward 8 residents went to the Anacostia Public Library in Southeast D.C. Saturday to cast their ballots for the council seat. The candidates are White, Mike Austin, Salim Adofo and Sheila Bunn.

“This will be the best time to get a new councilmember on Ward 8,” said Andrea Tucker.

The main issues for voters included crime, new restaurants, new recreation centers and keeping children off the streets.

Another voter, Allan Bussey, said that to see change, people will have to go out and cast their ballots.

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“We got to come out to vote as a people. We need young voters, if we can get them, all the way up to our elders,” Bussey said.

Early voting runs through Monday, ahead of Tuesday’s election.

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© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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Man accused of shooting 3-year-old in DC held without bond – WTOP News

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Man accused of shooting 3-year-old in DC held without bond – WTOP News


The man accused of shooting and killing a three-year-old girl in Southeast D.C. will be held without bond.

The man accused of shooting and killing a 3-year-old girl in Southeast D.C. will be held without bond.

Charles Rucker, 24, appeared in court Saturday on a charge of first-degree murder while armed after his arrest on Friday for the shooting of Honesty Cheadle.

Cheadle was with her family in a car parked on 14th Street on July 5 when Rucker allegedly opened fire on the car at least six times, shooting the toddler in the head.

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According to the arrest warrant, Rucker fled the scene but returned three minutes later and was seen on camera shining his flashlight at the ground and picking up different items.

The arrest warrant states he was likely picking up shell casings.

Cheadle was taken to a hospital by DC Fire and EMS personnel, where she died on Monday.

A preliminary hearing for Rucker will be held on Aug. 13.

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© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.



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