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Report: Gun violence cost taxpayers nearly $1B in 2020
A new study, commissioned by the nonprofit Peace for DC, reveals how much money taxpayers pay per homicide.
WASHINGTON - There's a steep price for the lives that are lost due to gun violence in D.C.
A new study, commissioned by the nonprofit Peace for DC, reveals how much money taxpayers pay per homicide.
According to the data, each fatal shooting reported in 2021 cost taxpayers $1.53 million. When a victim survives a shooting, the price tag decreases to just over $700,000.
And the whopping total cost of gun violence in the District cost taxpayers nearly $1 billion dollars in 2021.
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The study arrives amid an ongoing crime wave in D.C. The 226 murders that were reported in 2021, were the highest the city has seen in nearly 20 years. Homicides are currently down 10% from this time last year, but total violent crime is up 25%.
In addition to breaking down the city's financial obligation for homicides, the report looks at salary, clean-up, and ambulance response costs. It found that around $2,352 was spent on the police response to each homicide and over $1 million of taxpayer's money is spent on prison placement and pre-trial incarceration.
Peace for DC founder Roger Marmet argues that if gun violence is documented better, policymakers can address the issue properly.
"What drives me crazy is that the situation has gotten even worse since my son was killed," Marmet said in a Zoom interview with FOX 5.
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Marmet lost his 22-year-old son, Tom, to a stray bullet in Northeast DC in 2018. He said what he feels the city needs is a strategic plan to address gun violence and for there to be an emphasis on stronger government community partnerships.
When asked what that looks like (does that mean more Violence Interrupters, for example), Marmet responded, "It looks like a strategy and data informs strategy, so that’s why we funded this research. You know, You can’t fly blind. You can’t just try to do things every day and hold press conferences a couple of times a week announcing a new program. You need to step back and plan this out."
His comments appeared to be in response to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s recent announcements, including the "People of Promise Initiative," which targets the small group of people found responsible for committing most of D.C.’s gun violence.
Just last week, the mayor and police chief announced the start of a Violent Crime Impact Team, described as a new federal-local law enforcement partnership to use more "intelligence-driven" operations in removing illegal guns from D.C.’s streets.
DC Mayor's violent crime plan aims to help hundreds 'at risk of gun violence'
FOX 5 spoke with a couple of neighborhood representatives, who are aware of the report.
ANC 8C Commissioner Salim Adofoold FOX 5 said that some of his Southeast residents want more youth resources like recreational centers. "Some of them say that they do want more police, so there’s everything across the spectrum. Some of the biggest things though that I think that I’ve seen is we need to get more resources to younger people to help them with parenting," he said.
Denise Rucker Krepp, the Hill East ANC 6B10 Commissioner, told FOX 5, "My thought quite frankly … why aren’t we prosecuting crimes?
"I’m a little puzzled by the numbers because the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia told me last month, that he didn’t know what crimes his office was prosecuting. So, how did this organization get the numbers?"
The ANC leader was referring to a community meeting in March where U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves was apparently asked but unable to answer questions along the lines of how many murders, carjackings, and rapes his office prosecuted last year.
U.S. Attorney's Office Spokesperson Bill Miller sent FOX 5 the following response via email:
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to working with our law enforcement partners and neighborhoods across the District of Columbia to hold those who break the law accountable. In the midst of a pandemic, the Office has secured significant convictions over the past year in cases involving shootings, carjackings and gun offenses. The Office is focused on reversing violent crime trends and does not track historical data in the way that this particular citizen requested. Leaders from our Office are regularly in the community and for years have engaged in a healthy dialogue with District of Columbia residents and leaders. The characterization of this particular community meeting is misleading and does not accurately reflect the statements of the U.S. Attorney that evening.
The Mayor’s office did not respond to FOX 5’s request for comment on the "The Cost of Gun Violence" study.