Crime in Washington, D.C., is a crisis. Six months ago, the Washington Examiner looked at some of the issues plaguing the nation’s capital. In the months since, things feel worse than ever, but that might be starting to change. In this series, we are looking at how the nation’s capital wound up with its record on crime, how it affects its standing in the world, and what can be done to turn the problem around. In this broad look at the data, it appears as though efforts to tamp down on crime are working — even if residents are still shaking off the feeling that it’s everywhere.
Robberies, carjackings, and homicides have become a distressing norm in recent years for Washington D.,C., a city that reached a grim milestone in 2023, recording its deadliest year since the late 1990s and earning a No. 5 spot among cities with the highest homicide rates. However, the district could be on a path of redemption with early data suggesting a steady reduction in violent crime and homicides in the early months of 2024.
Compared to 2023, there was a 33% drop off in homicides so far this year, with just 28 people killed, according to Metropolitan Police Department data. In January and February of 2023, there were 36 homicides.
In January and February, violent crime fell 10% and property crime is down 11% compared to this time last year. Violent crime has also decreased by 12%.
While data reveals motor vehicle theft is down 33%, carjackings, especially on prominent politicians, have continued, with former Trump official Mike Gill being shot and killed during a carjacking spree last month while picking his wife up in downtown D.C.
Still, the new numbers appear to be a sharp contrast to what the city endured last year as residents, business owners, and politicians were left reeling from a crime influx that killed 274 people. In 2023, while cities across the country experienced a decline in overall crime rates, D.C. stood out as an exception.
The city saw a 39% uptick in violent crime and a 35% escalation in homicides, followed by a 24% increase in property crimes and a 67% surge in robberies, according to MPD data. There were also 959 carjackings, with 77% of them involving guns. That is an 82% increase from the year prior.
Carjackings soared in the D.C. area last year, impacting residents and high-profile politicians alike, with Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) being held at gunpoint by three assailants during a carjacking in Navy Yard in October. In February, Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) was attacked in an elevator leaving her D.C apartment, and a staff member from Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-KY) team was hospitalized after being stabbed in the head in March.
While the fresh evidence could be hinting that the city’s unprecedented crime surge during 2023 is tapering off, it could still be too early to tell, as January and February numbers offer a smaller sample size compared to 2023 D.C. crime statistics as a whole.
Mayor Muriel Bowser pointed to emergency crime legislation that was approved last year as a “big help” in reducing crime toward the end of 2023, which could be spilling over into 2024.
The emergency legislation extended penalties for certain crimes as well as expanded pretrial detention for adults and youth who were charged with homicide, assault, violent offenses, carjackings, and sexual abuse.
Yet, D.C. residents, business owners, and Republican lawmakers remained frustrated with the city’s violence infestation, putting pressure on city leaders to do more to curb theft, carjackings, and violent crime. After Congress overturned a D.C bill last year for being too loose on crime, city council members passed the Secure D.C. Omnibus Amendment Act Tuesday following recall efforts on two left-liberal council members for their soft-on-crime approaches.
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The bill, which would bring harsher punishments to the city, could be a sign that the nation’s capital is beginning to take people’s concerns about the crime surge seriously. The legislation would allow DNA to be collected on certain felony arrests, make it easier to hold people waiting for trial, and loosen restrictions for law enforcement, among other provisions.
While new crime data and measures could offer a promising year for D.C.’s recovery, it remains uncertain if the city has rebounded from the crime influx in 2023 with some city leaders, who felt the pressure from residents and Republicans on the national stage, are unsure if passing the recent crime bill would make the city safer. Even residents who pushed for the new measures remain skeptical about the trajectory of the city’s crime rates, saying that the summertime will be a true testament to if crime in the city is actually receding.
