DC Mayor Bowser’s anti-crime plan to target organized retail theft, open-air drug markets, masks

DC Mayor Bowser unveils new anti-crime plan as violence continues to climb

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a new anti-crime initiative Monday as violence across the District continues to climb.

WASHINGTON - D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a new anti-crime initiative Monday as violence across the District continues to climb.

Bowser, Acting Police Chief Pamela Smith, and other city officials unveiled the Addressing Crime Trends Now Act, or ACT Now plan. Bowser says the legislation will address recent crime trends and give law enforcement more tools to hold criminals accountable while working to keep neighborhoods safe.

Bowser announced the legislation at 11 a.m. at the city's Fourth District Station in Northwest.

What could change in D.C. policing?

In Bowser's new ACT Now plan, the act of being masked while committing a crime would be illegal again. Bowser is bringing that law back after it was terminated at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

In May, FOX 5 reporter David Kaplan asked the mayor whether she thought banning ski masks would reduce crime. At the time, Bowser told us she would look to the police department to make any recommendations.

The ACT Now plan would create criminal penalties making it illegal to organize or direct anyone in a theft-for-profit scheme, including many of the smash-and-grab rings seen recently.

Other measures introduced Monday allow the police chief to declare temporary "Drug-Free Zones" to address open-air drug markets and loitering.

Another portion reverses some police reform passed by the D.C. Council after George Floyd’s death and the 2020 summer of social unrest. This includes clarifying the language around banning chokeholds, which the police chief said makes officers hesitant to be hands-on even in necessary situations. In the new language, officers would be allowed to make contact with a person's neck – but not with the throat.

The new plan would also allow officers to engage in a car chase in specific situations.

DC Mayor Bowser to unveil new anti-crime plan as violence continues to climb

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is expected to announce a new anti-crime initiative Monday as violence across the District continues to climb.

Is crime really up in Washington, D.C.?

The announcement came as crime rates across the District continue to rise. Violent crime is up 41%, robberies are up 70%, and homicides are up 33%, according to the city's most recent crime data. Sex abuse reports, assaults with dangerous weapon reports and property crimes are also up.

When compared to the same time last year, all crime in the District is up 27%.

Just this weekend, a shooting on U Street left a man dead. Police say 24-year-old Diamonte Lewis of D.C. was shot and killed early Saturday morning. No suspects or motives have been identified.

Later Saturday evening a man was seriously injured after being stabbed on a Metrobus near 34th Street and Wisconsin Avenue in Northwest. The man was hospitalized in critical condition. Police have released images of the person that they say was involved in the attack.

Just before 10 p.m. Saturday gunshots left a man injured and the windows of a Giant grocery store shattered in the 1400 block of 8th Street in Northwest. No arrests have been made.

Also this weekend, a woman was attacked by a gunman who struck her in the head with the weapon before stealing her dog. Anyone with information is this or any of the incidents is asked to contact police.