About 3D CAC

3D CAC serves more than 180,000 residents across eight Police Service Areas in Washington, DC. Our work is grounded in direct, sustained engagement with residents, businesses, faith leaders, public safety partners, agency representatives, and elected officials.

Through this work, 3D CAC addresses the full range of public safety conditions, community concerns, and justice system experiences that shape daily life across the Third District.

This public policy position statement reflects 3D CAC’s commitment to a public safety framework that protects residents, supports survivors, promotes rehabilitation, strengthens accountability, and addresses the root conditions that affect safety across our neighborhoods.

Public Testimony in Action

Rodent Abatement, Public Health, and Block-Level Accountability

On July 13, 2026, Karen Gaal delivered oral testimony and submitted written testimony before the Council of the District of Columbia concerning proposed rodent-abatement legislation. Both the oral presentation and the written submissions are part of the official public record.

Appearing on behalf of the Third District Citizens Advisory Council and the  3D CAC Community Safety Foundation, Inc. – publicly known as the 3D Safety Foundation – Chairwoman Gaal presented a community-informed framework connecting rodent abatement with public health, public safety, sanitation, property accountability, resident education, and neighborhood leadership.

Her testimony made clear that Washington’s rodent crisis cannot be solved through treatment, dashboards, or enforcement alone. Lasting progress requires coordinated government action and trained residents who understand their neighborhoods, recognize recurring conditions, document concerns, educate their neighbors, and connect communities with the appropriate District agencies.

Our Public-Policy Recommendations

The testimony called upon the Council and District agencies to:

• Report rodent-abatement data at the Police Service Area and Advisory Neighborhood Commission level, not only by ward;
• Prioritize rodent-resistant waste containers near schools, libraries, residential areas, nightlife corridors, and commercial districts;
• Establish a separate and clearly identifiable standard for pet-waste disposal;
• Require consistent waste collection, servicing, inspection, and enforcement;
• Extend rodent-prevention resources and infrastructure into residential corridors;
• Provide direct implementation funding to qualified community-based organizations;
• Formally incorporate trained Block Captains into public education, observation, reporting, and neighborhood-engagement efforts;
• Coordinate block-level deployments involving the Department of Health, Department of Public Works, community organizations, residents, and property owners; and
• Establish measurable completion standards so that a block is fully addressed before crews move to the next location.

The 3D CAC testimony also offered to integrate rodent reporting and prevention education into the “See It. Know It. Act On It.” Block Captain campaign, using the organization’s existing community network to strengthen neighborhood-level awareness and response.

The 3D Safety Foundation testimony went further by presenting an implementation framework through which trained Block Captains could support residential outreach, public education, documentation, agency coordination, and sustained follow-up block by block.

Policy Must Reach the Block

3D CAC did not appear before the Council only to identify a problem. We presented an existing community infrastructure capable of helping the District implement solutions.

Across the Third District’s eight Police Service Areas, Block Captains and community volunteers already help:

• Welcome and connect neighbors;
• Check on seniors and residents with disabilities;
• Share verified public-safety and public-health information;
• Identify sanitation, lighting, sidewalk, infrastructure, and property concerns;
• Support families, students, businesses, and community institutions;
• Document persistent neighborhood conditions; and
• Connect residents with government and community resources.

Rodent abatement is a natural extension of this work. The same trusted neighborhood leaders who observe unsafe conditions, communicate with residents, and coordinate with agencies can also help identify rodent activity, unsecured waste, illegal dumping, damaged containers, neglected properties, and recurring sanitation problems.

Block Captains do not replace inspectors, sanitation crews, public-health specialists, pest-management professionals, or enforcement agencies. They strengthen the connection between those professionals and the residents most directly affected by neighborhood conditions.

From the Legislative Record to Professional Recognition

Two days after the Council hearing, the 3D CAC Block Captain Program participated in both days of the DC Department of Health’s 2-Day Rodent and Vector Control Academy, held July 15–16, 2026, at George Washington University.

During the Academy, keynote speaker and rodent-control professional Gerard L. Brown publicly referenced Karen Gaal’s Council testimony and repeatedly emphasized the need for organized Block Captains and informed residents in addressing rodent activity, sanitation conditions, and environmental-health challenges.

This progression from neighborhood observation, to oral and written testimony entered into the official Council record, to recognition within a professional public-health training environment—demonstrates the growing relevance of the 3D CAC community-public-safety model.

Community Knowledge Belongs in Public Policy

3D CAC works to ensure that resident experiences do not remain isolated complaints. Through documentation, public meetings, testimony, training, newsletters, agency engagement, and organized neighborhood leadership, community concerns can help shape:

Legislation • Public Policy • Agency Practice • Public Education • Professional Training • Government Accountability

Our approach connects the people who experience neighborhood conditions with the institutions responsible for addressing them.

Policy establishes the commitment. Community infrastructure delivers the result.

View the Official Council Hearing Record

See It. Know It. Act On It.
Every Block. Every Neighbor. Every Time.