DC Council to consider Secure DC bill that would be tougher on criminals
WASHINGTON - The District's battle over crime will be front and center as the D.C. Council considers a new crime bill that promises harsher penalties for criminals and more police power.
Over the last year several different bills have tried to tackle D.C.’s crime crisis.
Councilmember Brooke Pinto has taken those proposals and tweaks and put them all into a 93-page bill.
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In 2023, there were 274 homicides in D.C., the most in two decades.
Violent carjackings hit every corner of the city and were often carried out by teen repeat offenders.
The new legislation, Called Secure DC has nearly 100 measures to tighten the city’s crime laws.
Pinto, Chair of the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, told FOX 5 the bill has been carefully written.
New 'Secure DC' crime bill seeks to tackle growing crisis in the District
Key components of the new 'Secure DC' crime bill include prevention, accountability and government coordination. Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto, who sponsored the bill, discusses the structure of the legislation, the financial support for it and the implementation if it passes the full council on Jan. 23.
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"We know, and study after study, tells us, that swiftness and certainty of getting caught is a deterrent to crime," Pinto said. "And so Secure DC does a number of things, creating new levels of firearm offenses, for instance to go after the unacceptable levels of gun violence that are plaguing our communities right now. Changes definitions to things like carjacking to empower our prosecutor to bring more of these cases."
Other provisions include assumption of pre-trial detention for violent crimes, new organized retail crime offenses, expanded police powers, career training programs at DC Jail
Some councilmembers and the ACLU have expressed reservations about the bill.
It will be introduced for a first reading Tuesday and requires passage at a second reading. Mayor Muriel Bowser said she will sign it.