On Thursday, Washington, D.C. hit a grim milestone, suffering more than 900 carjackings so far this year. This is 100 percent higher year-to-date than 2022.
The danger of losing a car is compounded by the fact that many of these crimes, 77 percent, are committed by thieves using guns, according to WJLA-TV.
Out of these 901 carjackings, there have been 157 arrests, with 66 percent of these arrests involving teenage perpetrators. The city’s police also report that there have been 238 “closures” of carjacking cases.
With the alarming rise in carjackings, the city council is looking to make new laws to address the issue.
The D.C. Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety is debating Bill 25-0555, known as the “Addressing Crime Trends (ACT) Now Amendment Act of 2023.” A hearing on the bill will be held on Nov. 29.
“This legislation reflects what our community is telling us: They want appropriate accountability for those who choose to commit crimes and inflict fear in our neighborhoods,” D.C. Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser said of the bill. “At a time when we’re dealing with historically low staffing levels at MPD, we’re making common-sense changes that recognize the day-to-day operational challenges our officers experience and that will better support safe and effective policing.”
“Although each of these urgent situations are, to some extent, geographically concentrated, the nature of the two emergencies demands city-wide responses,” Bowser added in a news release.
Among other provisions aimed at stopping carjackings and other crimes, the bill would limit loitering, enhance drug-free zones, add more penalties for organized retail theft, reinstate a law to make it illegal to wear a mask while committing a crime, and increase penalties for intimidating or threatening people.
Despite the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department’s report that a high number of the crimes are committed by young people, Democratic Attorney General Brian Schwalb insisted that “kids are kids” and should not be treated as adults, according to Just the News.
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While the MPD has formed a carjacking task force, WDVM-TV reported, they also issued a series of recommendations to drivers.
The MPD advised drivers to lock their cars, park in a safe area, and stay alert about their surroundings.
“Your car is replaceable, but you’re not,” the Metropolitan Police Department website said, according to WUSA. “Knowing how to respond in a situation may mean the difference between serious injury or death and walking away unscathed.”
The MVP also handed out car tracking devices to help drivers track their vehicles in case they are stolen. The policy is part of Mayor Bowser’s plan to combat the rise in carjackings, the station added.
At least one member of Congress suffered the fate of many of the other D.C. citizens when Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas lost his car at the hands of armed carjackers in October.
“As Congressman Cuellar was parking his car this evening, three armed assailants approached the Congressman and stole his vehicle,” his office said in a statement at the time, according to NBC News. “Luckily, he was not harmed and is working with local law enforcement.”
While D.C.’s crime wave has been excessive, other deep blue cities have also seen a rise in carjackings. According to statistics reported by the Chicago Police Department, carjackings over the past few years are higher than they have been in more than two decades.
And according to CNN, New York’s rate of carjacking has quadrupled over the last four years.
