DC Council overrides Mayor Bowser's veto of controversial criminal code overhaul
WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - D.C. Council has approved the controversial massive overhaul of the District's criminal code in a 12-1 vote, overriding Mayor Muriel Bowser's veto.
In the letter to D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson earlier this month, the mayor said she is "vetoing Bill 24-450, the ‘Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022’" because she believes the "bill does not make us safer."
READ MORE: Mayor Bowser vetoes controversial new criminal code
It's the first comprehensive revision of the capital city's criminal code since it was created by Congress in 1901. Councilmember Trayon White was the lone "no" vote.
While there was consensus on much of the 450-page bill, there was also concern over provisions to reduce maximum sentences, the elimination of nearly all mandatory minimum sentences and the expansion of the right to jury trials by those accused of misdemeanors.
DC Councilmember Charles Allen on criminal code carjacking sentences
In the District, penalty changes for violent crimes in the Revised Criminal Code Act (RCCA), which was recently passed by the D.C. Council, were vetoed by the mayor this week. Officials have argued in the past, that some of the changes remove a tool prosecutors and judges can use. FOX 5's Stephanie Ramirez goes one-on-one with Councilmember Charles Allen.
D.C. Police Chief Robert J. Contee III also opposed the bill's reduction of many sentences.
READ MORE: Washington Post editorial board weighs in on controversial changes to DC’s crime code
The DC Police Union released a statement following the council's override saying in part:
"The Mayor is the only elected official listening to District residents on crime and violence. This law, once enacted, will lead to violent crime rates exploding even more than they already have. It’s reprehensible that the Council would smugly continue to support failed policies at the expense of the lives of our most vulnerable residents."
The full release can be found below: