- The Washington Times - Thursday, March 7, 2024

Residents of the nation’s capital are living in fear, and city leaders had no choice but to respond. The Council on Tuesday passed Secure D.C., a sweeping measure designed to make it appear like it was doing something about the unprecedented lawlessness and violence gripping the city.

The numbers don’t lie. Metropolitan Police data show murders skyrocketed 35% last year, while robberies increased by two-thirds. Car theft was up 82% and arson rose 175%. Even politicians like Rep. Henry Cuellar, Texas Democrat, became statistics. Mr. Cuellar was one of last year’s 958 carjacking victims thanks to a ruffian who shoved a pistol in the congressman’s face outside his Navy Yard apartment.

Determined citizens showing up at Council meetings demanded action. Dissatisfied Ward 6 residents have even taken matters into their own hands. The D.C. elections board last month validated their proposal to oust Councilman Charles Allen over the soft-on-crime policies he promoted on the Council’s Judiciary Committee.



The Committee to Recall Charles Allen now has until August to collect signatures from 10% of registered voters in Ward 6 to qualify for the ballot. At the top of the committee’s list of alleged grievances is Mr. Allen’s legislation springing violent thugs from jail as well in addition to his moves to defund and demoralize the Metropolitan Police Department.

“Charles Allen’s legacy is more criminals on the street and fewer police officers on the beat,” the petition claims.

Some 450 officers left their jobs as a result of the “defund the police” movement, leaving fewer men in blue to deal with the escalating mayhem. Cops that do remain are incredibly frustrated after they catch a perp in the act, only to sit back and watch as the miscreant is let back out onto the streets moments later because officials declined to prosecute.

The District’s prosecution rate is a fraction of what it is in even other left-wing jurisdictions like Manhattan and Philadelphia. The D.C. Superior Court ten years ago handled about 20,000 cases per year. In 2022, it disposed of 9,363 cases.

This is where Secure D.C. falls short. Its enhanced criminal penalties can’t do much good as long as prosecutors lack the will to prosecute. Another bad sign is that the Council bowed to noisy soft-on-crime lobbyists in adopting an amendment allowing shoplifters to continue pilfering as much merchandise as they want, as long as the total amount stolen is less than $1,000. A previous version of the ordinance would have lowered the felony theft threshold to $500.

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On the eve of the Council vote, the D.C. Auditor released a scathing statement explaining how fundamental management issues, including rampant problems at the city crime lab, have contributed to the anarchy. “The District has multiple efforts underway to interrupt violence but agencies are not measuring those efforts in a meaningful way to know what is working, what can be improved, and how,” the auditor explained.

At least the Council in passing Secure D.C. admits its policies have been a big part of the problem. Time will tell if its criminal-coddling ways are truly a thing of the past.

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