After Washington, DC, leaders pushed to defund police at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, the city’s mayor is now pushing a new law that would give police more tools to make arrests in the crime-riddled capital.
Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the Addressing Crime Trends Now Act on Monday, which includes policies to clarify what qualifies as an illegal neck restraint and efforts to tackle drug crime and retail theft.
‘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,’ Bowser said in a statement.
‘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.’
Bowser has resisted calls to defund police, despite opposition from the DC City Council, which cut $32 million from her proposed police budget and redirected $9.6 million dollars from police to violence interruption. Bowser, instead has pushed for hiring more cops in the capital.
Washington, DC’s, Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser proposed new legislation that would make it easier for police to arrest criminals
The mayor has resisted calls to defund the police and has been an advocate for increasing the size of the force from 3,580 to 4,000.
Soaring crime in the nation’s capital has left residents fearing for their lives and changing their routines to avoid falling victim to crime.
As of October 24, homicide is up 33 percent, robbery is up 70 percent, motor vehicle theft rose 102 percent and theft is up 22 percent, according to data from the DC Metropolitan Police Department.
This year there have been 225 murders, putting DC on track to overtake 2021 as the bloodiest year in two decades.
DC’s annual Point-in-Time count, which took place on January 25, found that the total number of homeless people increased by 11.6 percent this year from 2022.
Bowser’s proposal would reinstate the ability of the police chief to declare temporary drug-free zones to disrupt loitering around open-air drug markets.
‘I am disappointed in the Mayor’s proposal and the hype she’s created around it. Residents are concerned about gun violence, robberies, and carjackings. This proposal does not address gun violence, robberies, and carjackings,’ said council Chairman Phil Mendelson.
‘Instead, it trots out ‘solutions’ like recreating drug free zones. And while I support the idea of drug free zones, they are unconstitutional.’
He added. ‘The Mayor needs to focus on deterrence and the biggest deterrent of violent crime is closing cases, locking up repeat offenders and prosecuting aggressively.’
The legislation clarifies the distinction between an illegal use of force such as a chokehold and incidental contact with the neck like putting their hand on the back of a suspects neck while moving them into a squad card.
A homeless man sleeping outside a bank in Washington, DC. Data shows the total number of homeless people in the nation’s capital increased by 11.6 percent this year from 2022
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Police gather at the scene of a shooting in Washington, DC. Police department data shows there have been 225 murders this year, putting DC on track to overtake 2021 as the bloodiest year in two decades
An awakening around police excessive use of force swept the nation after the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, when former police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck during his neck while Floyd was saying he can’t breathe.
Bowser’s proposal allows officers to review their bodycam footage before writing a report, defines vehicular pursuit and explains what information will be made public in officer discipline.
‘This legislation is critical for the public safety of the District of Columbia,’ acting DC Metropolitan police Chief Pamela Smith said.
‘The legislation is responsive to what we are hearing from community and takes important steps forward in clarifying existing legislative language to ensure our officers are able to fully perform their duties.’
Addressing Crime Trends Now Act establishes a new crime for directing organized retail theft and reinstates a law that makes it illegal to wear a mask while committing a crime.
In May, the US Senate overturned a law passed by the DC City Council that would have reduce the maximum sentences for carjacking, banned police from using chokeholds, make disciplinary records of law enforcement public and required body camera footage to be released.
Unique to the District of Columbia, once the city council passes a law, it must go to Congress for a period of 30 days, or 60 days if a criminal law.
During the time of congressional review, Congress can vote to overturn the measure or if the review period passes and no action is taken, it finally becomes a law in DC.
Bowser has resisted calls to defund the police and has been an advocate for increasing the size of the police force from 3,580 to 4,000.
Mayor Muriel Bowser (second from the left), testified before a House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing in May
Her 2024 budget, approved in May by the city council, includes $5.4 million in bonuses for new hires.
Her 2023 budget earmarked $1.7 billion for public safety in DC out of the city’s entire $19.5 billion – an increase from $1.5 billion the previous year.
‘We must throw every resource at reducing crime,’ she wrote.
Following the murder of George Floyd, some cities caved to calls to defund the police, but Bowser opted to increase dollars for police in her fiscal year 2021 budget – which took effect in October 2020.
However, the city council revised the mayor’s proposal by cutting the Metropolitan Police Department budget by $32 million and redirecting $9.6 million dollars from police to violence interruption.
Bowser was criticized by some for spending $4.8 million on creating BLM Plaza in the heart of downtown DC which saw the slogan painted across the street from the White House, as Donald Trump was president.
