Violent crime rate in Washington, DChas reached its lowest level in 30 years, according to data from the US Attorney's Office.
Matthew M. Graves, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said Friday that violent crime in the District is down 35% year over year. 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 homicides down 30%, sexual assault down 22%, assault with a dangerous weapon down 27%, robbery down 8%, and burglary down 8%.
“There's no doubt, in my view, 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. “And most importantly, is finding out in our community… who is really driving the violence and holding them accountable for certain crimes, so you can get them off the street before they commit the next crime.”
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The violent crime rate in Washington, D.C., has reached a 30-year low, according to data from the U.S. Attorney's Office. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The data shows drivers, Greaves said Violent crime It includes “several hundred individuals throughout the city.”
“Many of them belong to…what we in the area call 'crews'; organizations of individuals usually based in the neighborhood or area in which they grew up are involved in a range of different crimes,” he said.
“In some ways, their activities directly engage in violence. In others, the activities they engage in, which fuel open-air drug markets, are magnets for violence,” he added. “So, going after those individuals who are already an outlier in violent crime is an incredibly effective strategy for getting the numbers down.”
Graves said prosecution is not the only way to reduce crime.
Violent crimes in the area decreased by 35% year over year. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“These are often deeply rooted issues with motivations based on poverty, lack of services, health issues and education issues,” he said. “We can impact these numbers. We can keep violence off the streets. We can try to deter others from being drivers of gun violence. But if there are things that haven't been resolved, like mental health issues, lack of economic opportunity, then there will be problems.” More drivers.”
Graves attributed the decrease in violent crimes to his office working with an organization Metropolitan Police Department To target the small number of people who are driving violent crimes in the area.
He added: “A relatively small number of people are driving violence in our society.” He told WTOP. “And what we've been doing over the last two years is actually targeting those individuals – those groups of individuals – who are driving the violence.”
There have been 3,388 incidents of violent crimes so far in 2024, compared to 5,215 incidents in 2023. (and it comes)
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Local leaders also cite the Secure DC Omnibus Act and other factors, such as increased officer visibility, technology upgrades and ensuring students attend class.
Still, Graves says there is more work to be done to address the number of illegal firearms in the area.
“We now have a lot more illegal firearms in our community 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 a community, the more people will get sick.”
