Crime
DC’s new police chief announces plans to reduce crime
According to NBC Washington, recently appointed Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith faces an uphill battle to reduce crime in DC. Crime statistics show that violent crime is up 36% from last 12 months and homicides are up 18% from last 12 months. Smith is taking up the department needs a staff increase because about 3,000 officers patrol town’s population of about 641,301, or roughly one officer for each 213 residents.
Smith, to her credit, reveals that her plans concentrate on ensuring the general public sees her as much as possible: “The community wants the police to be the police and to do it in a constitutional, safe and respectful way. Make no mistake: I will be focused on us doing everything we can in this space. What I want people to know about Pamela Smith is that I will be a visible leader. I will be conducting safety walks in all of our neighborhoods, PSA. I’m meeting people probably at inconvenient times. People will see me show up in different places and spaces, not because other chiefs haven’t done so, but because I live here and it’s important to me that members feel safe in the District.”
Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. was shot during an attempted carjacking in August 2022, before his rookie season. In January 2023, it was revealed that one among the automotive hijackers was a 15-year-old teenager who shot and killed one other teenager per week later. Car thefts in Washington have gotten more common How Axles reports that the number has been rising steadily for five years, peaking in 2022. This has put the area people in a difficult position, with 60% of automotive theft arrests involving minors. Smith has the support of the police union, which appears outraged by the passage of laws geared toward ensuring police don’t overstep their bounds, union president Greg Pemberton said NBC Washington: “The city council passed such a burdensome law Act on the reform of the police and justice system that you can’t go out and do your job, and I’m talking about a professional, responsible and constitutional police force,” Pemberton said. “Officers can no longer do this without risking their lives, without risking their careers, without risking criminal, administrative and civil penalties.”
One of Smith’s top priorities is reducing the violent crime rate amongst juveniles. He wants to reach out to his parents to help him achieve this goal. It also focuses on increasing utilization hot-spot police., who goes to areas where there may be numerous crime and polices those areas. Police practices database Crime solutions rates the practice as promising in reducing violent crime and effective in reducing overall crime, which makes Smith’s concentrate on the practice useful, especially because the department struggles with staffing shortages. Smith is D.C.’s first black police chief and takes over at a critical time for the department. Smith has yet to be officially confirmed by the District of Columbia City Council, which could cause confusion. Still, Smith is seen as a robust candidate with a proven track record of improving perceptions of the departments through which she has worked.