Crime Appears to be Going Down; It’s Not Enough

There has been a lot of media coverage over the past month telling us that crime in the District, especially violent crime, is down in the first months of 2024. And there are indications that things have been improving since last summer.  

This is a welcome development and a trend that we hope continues, though it is still early in the year. It is, of course, not enough.  

Reflecting on the decline in crime rates, it's clear that many entities have played a role. Here are some of the things, in multiple agencies, that have taken place since last summer: 

• Under our new Police Chief Smith, who arrived last July, we have seen police patrolling the streets more, engaging with the community, and making more arrests.  
• Because of pressure we’ve been putting on the U.S. Attorney, we’ve seen more prosecutions there, and more federal resources put into law enforcement, as well. 
• After three years, the crime lab is now, finally, partially re-accredited. 
• Advocates and members of the public applied pressure on a host of issues, and advocated vigorously for victim services and increased victim compensation, expanded funding for safe commercial corridors, accountability from the Office of Unified Communications, which operates the 911 dispatch center, and MPD, and pressure on the Mayor to restore crime lab accreditation, among others. 

Last July, the Council, including me, passed the Prioritizing Public Safety legislation, which gave police and courts more tools to take action on violent crimes. 

All of these things together coupled with continued collaboration moving forward, will help us continue the trend of lowering the crime rate.