Washington, D.C
DC police chief marks one year on the job by highlighting dropping crime rate – WTOP News
WTOP sat down with D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith, who’s marking her first year by touting crime data that shows significant drops in crime so far this year.
Marking her first year as the District’s police chief, Pamela Smith is touting crime data that shows drops in crime so far this year, compared to the same period last year, including declines in the number of homicides, carjackings and robberies.
The chief, who took the helm of the Metropolitan Police Department after 25 years with U.S. Park Police in 2023, said tougher laws, stronger prosecutions and improved police tactics have helped reduce crime.
“When you talk about the numbers — we’re at a 33% reduction in violent crime, we’re at a 38% reduction in robberies, we’re at a 48% reduction in carjackings,” Chief Smith told WTOP.
When the chief joined the department last year, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the D.C. Council were in the midst of rolling back some criminal justice reforms instituted in 2020, following the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis.
Smith said she’s not sure what to attribute to the rapid increase in crime in the city after 2020
“What I will say is that one of the things that I think has been instrumental is the legislation that’s been passed. … The emergency legislation that was passed, ‘Safer Stronger DC,’ ‘ACT Now,’ and all of those culminated into, what I believe, legislation that helped us drive down crime in the District,” Smith explained.
Holding criminals accountable
Recent laws like “Secure DC” and “Safer, Stronger DC” have, among other things, enhanced penalties for violent crimes and increased the number of people charged with a violent crime that D.C. Superior Court judges are encouraged to keep jailed before trial.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. also stepped up the number of Title 16 charges, in which some juveniles charged with violent crimes are charged as adults.
D.C. crime data, as of July 17, shows that there have been 98 homicides so far this year, compared to 134 at this time last year — a 26% reduction. Assault with a dangerous weapon is down 27% and motor vehicle thefts are down 34%.
Total crime in D.C. is down 18% compared to the same period last year.
“I think what we’re seeing is a combination of a lot of different things. Individuals are being held accountable, they’re being held in the jails, as opposed to being released to go back out into their community. We’re seeing judges, we’re seeing the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Office of Attorney General leveraging prosecution that helps us when it comes to the same individuals committing the same crimes,” she said.
Staffing deficiencies and asking for the public’s help
The Metropolitan Police Department remains understaffed — as do police agencies throughout the region and across the nation — but Smith said D.C. is doing well in comparison to some other agencies.
“We’ve not taken a significant decrease. As a matter of fact, we’ve seen a 30% reduction in our attrition rate. We’ve not seen many people leaving the job or retiring from the job at a rate where we thought it would outpace that. And so that’s a good sign for us. That lets me know that we have members that still want to stay in this profession,” said Smith.
She said one major step residents, business owners and institutions can take to help reduce crime is to join the CameraConnect D.C. program.
Under the program, video cameras such as Ring cameras, doorbell cameras and private security system cameras are registered with the city so that police know the locations of video cameras that can assist during a public safety threat or after a crime has occurred. The city also offers rebates to residents, businesses, nonprofits and religious institutions for security cameras.
“That is exactly what we need because that really helps us to drive down crime,” Smith said.
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4 things to know about the weather:
- So Many Clouds
- Not Too Much Rain
- Milder For The Weekend
- Warmer Days Next Week
The dividing line between the 50s and the 70s is a cold front that has been wedged right down into our area by high pressure anchored over New England. East winds will bring our air off the ocean and Bay and both of those bodies of water are COLD this time of year.
Afternoon highs will stay in the 40s near the Bay, should reach the low/mid 50s near DC and could be near 60° west of Fredericksburg.
Very little sunshine today but not too much of a rain chance. Clouds, fog and 40s for all tonight.
Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.
A developing storm over the Ohio Valley will finally begin to push that high pressure away tomorrow. Our afternoon highs will be dependent on how soon our wind can turn around to the Southwest.
Plan for a cloudy and chilly Saturday morning with a big jump in temperatures by mid-afternoon. Northern and Northeastern Maryland will remain cooler, but the rest of the area should pop above 70° for the first time this year.
The aforementioned storm will send a front through our area Saturday night. That front will bring a round of showers along with it. Showers will be likely Saturday evening and night.
The majority of that rain chance will be ending before noon on Sunday and the return of a little sun on Sunday afternoon should warm most areas to near 70° once again.
The first few days of next week will feel more like May than March. Highs on Monday should be near 75° and both Tuesday and Wednesday could top 80°. That warm pattern won’t last long, but it sure will feel good.
QuickCast
TODAY:
Mostly Cloudy
Coolest Along, East Of I-95
Isolated Showers
Wind: East 5-15 mph
Chance of Rain: 20%
HIGHS: 48° to 62°
TONIGHT:
Cloudy And Damp
Isolated Showers
Areas Of Fog
Wind: East 5-10 mph
Chance Of Rain: 20%
LOWS: 40° to 45°
SATURDAY:
Partly To Mostly Cloudy
Breezy And Warmer
Isolated Showers
Wind: Southwest 10-20 mph
Chance of Rain: 20%
HIGHS: 65° to 75°
SUNDAY:
Partly Sunny
AM: Showers Likely
PM: Dry For Most
Wind: Northwest 5-15 mph
Chance of Rain: 40%
HIGHS: 64° to 72°
MONDAY:
Sun And Clouds
Nice And Mild
Light Breeze
Wind: Variable 5 mph
Chance of Rain: 0%
HIGHS: 66° to 72°
Sunrise: 6:33 Sunset: 6:06
Average High: 53° Average Low: 36°
Stay with Storm Team4 for the latest forecast. Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to get severe weather alerts on your phone.
4 things to know about the weather:
- Grab the umbrella
- Big temperature ranges
- Thunder possible Thursday night
- Warmer days on the way
Heads up commuters! For Thursday morning, there will be some thick fog in spots with some rain possible, especially around the Mason-Dixon line. The fog should clear out by 10 a.m.
Throughout the day, some sunshine should develop with highs warming into the low 60s. Those in Northern Maryland could see some showers throughout the day but those near the D.C. area will stay relatively dry except for a stray shower or two.
Some rain and evening storms by 8 p.m. will impact the area Thursday night. Although it’s a bit unusual for this time of year, don’t be surprised if you hear thunder Thursday evening.
Warmer temperatures coming this weekend
These next few days will come with some major forecast challenges.
Much, much warmer air is just to our south and cold, high pressure is moving into New England. The front separating the 40s from the 70s will be laying right across our region for the next two to three days.
So keep in mind, when you’re looking at the forecast highs in the text below, that it will be warmest in Fredericksburg, VA and coolest in northern Maryland.
Friday’s weather will be similar as a front system remains just over the area, separating chilly air to the north and warmer air to the south. There might be a stray shower or two, too.
For the weekend, Saturday looks to be the warmer of the two days with highs in the low to mid 70s. Some rain overnight Saturday will lead to cooler temperatures on Sunday.
Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to check the weather radar on the go.
QuickCast
THURSDAY:
Mostly Cloudy
Stray Shower Possible
Big Temperature Range
Wind: Southeast 5 mph
Chance of Rain: 40%
HIGHS: 62° to 72°
THURSDAY NIGHT:
Cloudy And Chilly
Rain Likely
Some Thunder Possible
Wind: Northeast 5 mph
Chance Of Rain: 70%
LOWS: 44° to 54°
FRIDAY:
Mostly Cloudy
Cooler For Most
Isolated Shower Or Two
Wind: East 5-15 mph
Chance of Rain: 20%
HIGHS: 52° to 68°
SATURDAY:
Partly Sunny
Breezy And Warmer
Isolated Shower
Wind: Southwest 10-20 mph
Chance of Rain: 20%
HIGHS: 66° to 78°
SUNDAY:
Mostly Cloudy
Cooler
Few Showers Possible
Wind: Northwest 5-15 mph
Chance of Rain: 20%
HIGHS: 64° to 72°
Sunrise: 6:35 Sunset: 6:05
Average High: 53° Average Low: 36°
Stay with Storm Team4 for the latest forecast. Download the NBC Washington app on iOS and Android to get severe weather alerts on your phone.
WASHINGTON (7News) — D.C. taxpayers may be confused by back-and-forth between the D.C. City Council and Congress over taxprovision. The city’s financial officer sent a letter to Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson, that said the District’s tax laws will not change, despite recent actions by Congress.
7News spoke to director of Tax Policy at the Center for American Progress Corey Husak to explain the complicated tax policy.
“The short answer is, nothing changes. Filing Season can continue as it has been, continue as planned, and according to the laws as we understood them in January,” said Husak.
“If you’ve already filed your taxes, you don’t have to change anything. And if you want to file your taxes, the rules are still the same as they were on the books before,” said Husak.
RELATED | DC Council Chairman talks taxes, budget, bodycams, federal surge
Chief Financial Officer Glen Lee’s revenue estimate issued Friday does not include an estimated $180 million expected this fiscal year from the city’s decoupling law, “due to the uncertainty of the associated revenue as a result of Joint Resolution 142,” according to a released letter.
“The CFO was in a tough spot here. If he agreed with Congress, then businesses and overtime workers will get bigger refunds. But if he agreed with the Mayor and the Attorney General, then families with children and lower income workers would get bigger tax cuts,” said Husak.
SEE MORE | Development of new Commanders stadium scrutinized at DC oversight hearing
“We as District residents can’t control, you know what happens in the courts, what happens in, you know, what Congress does in the future,” said Husak. “But for now, the CFO has said, you know this is, this is a law as it stands, and the law that I’m going to enforce so, you know, file your legally obligated taxes, and maybe in the future, there’ll be a surprise.”
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW
7News spoke to director of Tax Policy at the Center for American Progress Corey Husak to explain the complicated tax policy (7News).{ }
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