The number of violent crimes in Washington, DCAccording to data from the US Attorney’s Office, the number has reached a 30-year low.
Violent crime in the District is down 35% year over year, Mathew M. Graves, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said Friday. There have been 3,388 incidents so far in 2024, compared to 5,215 incidents in 2023.
Crimes that saw significant declines this year included murder by 30%, sexual assault by 22%, assault with a dangerous weapon by 27%, theft by 8% and burglary by 8%.
“From my perspective, there is no question that the most impactful thing we do when it comes to violent crime is targeting the drivers of gun violence,” Graves said. Fox 5 DC. “What’s more important is finding out in our community who is really causing violence and holding them accountable for some crimes so you can get them off the streets before they commit the next crime.”
MAN ARRESTED ON DC METROBUS FOR FARE CASH FOUND WITH LOADED SHOTGUN: POLICE
According to data from the US Attorney’s Office, the number of violent crimes in Washington DC has reached its lowest level in three decades. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Graves said the data shows the drivers of violent crime include “several hundred individuals in the city.”
“Many of them are affiliated with…what we in the district call ‘crews’; organizations of individuals, usually based in the neighborhood or block where they grow up, are involved in a lot of different crimes,” he said.
“Their activities are in some ways directly involved in violence. In other cases, the activities they engage in, which feed the open-air drug markets, are a magnet for violence,” he added. “So identifying those individuals who are truly responsible for an external portion of violent crime is an incredibly effective strategy for reducing the numbers.”
Graves said prosecution is not the only way to reduce crime.
Violent crime in the district is down 35% year-over-year. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“These are often deep-rooted problems that are driven by poverty, lack of services, health problems and education problems,” he said. “We can influence these figures. We can take violence off the streets. We can try to stop other people from being the drivers of gun violence. But if there are unresolved cases, mental health issues, lack of economic opportunity, there will also be more drivers.”
Graves attributed the decrease in violent crime to his cooperation with police Metropolitan Police Department to target the small number of people responsible for violent crimes in the district.
“It is relatively few people who cause violence in our community,” he says told WTOP. “And what we’ve done over the last two years is really focusing on those individuals – those groups of individuals – who are causing violence.”
So far in 2024, there have been 3,388 incidents of violent crime, compared to 5,215 incidents in 2023. (WTTG)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Local leaders also cite the Secure DC Omnibus Act and other factors such as increased officer visibility, technology upgrades and ensuring students attend class.
Graves still says more work needs to be done to address the number of illegal firearms in the district.
“We have far more illegal firearms in our community now than we did 15 years ago,” he said. “You have to think of it a lot like a virus. The more viruses there are in the community, the more people will get sick.”
