Secure DC Crime Bill: DC Council to vote Tuesday on bill aimed at lowering crime
Secure DC Crime Bill: What’s in the Secure DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2024?
The D.C. Council will hold the first of two votes Tuesday on the city's newest crime bill. The Secure DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2024 was introduced by Public Safety Committee Chair Councilmember Brook Pinto last year. The bill is a collection of different laws proposed to address what Mayor Muriel Bowser has repeatedly referred to as gaps in the system.
WASHINGTON - D.C. leaders are under pressure to put measures in place to lower crime – and do it quickly.
Council members will vote Tuesday on legislation aimed at addressing the growing crisis.
The Secure D.C. Omnibus Amendment Act of 2024 includes more than 100 proposals to help fight crime in our nation’s capital. 2023 ended with the highest number of homicides D.C. has seen in more than 25 years and carjackings nearly doubled.
The bill includes a list of proposals – such as – increasing gun violence penalties, adding punishment for organized retail theft, expanding the definition of carjacking, and giving police the authority to collect DNA samples before suspects are convicted.
Many residents tell FOX 5 that they think the solution is deeper than changing and adding new laws.
One woman said, "focusing on community needs, whether it’s a community that needs more daycares, a community that needs better access to more foods, to better access to jobs and employment opportunities."
"I think a lot of it is the way people are raised these days. There seems to be a general disregard for personal property and personal safety which I find appalling," said a Friendship Heights resident.
The legislation comes as more than 70 groups – including the US Chamber of Commerce, National Retail Federation, and US Travel Association – sent a letter to D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser "to express deep concern about the alarming increase in violent crime across our city." The organizations are worried about their employees' safety and continued to say, "Washington, D.C., is quickly becoming a national outlier in rising crime, and the trends are alarming." The industry associations are calling for immediate action to hold repeat offenders accountable.
A scathing report by the D.C. auditor reveals city leaders have failed to take proper action when it comes to preventing and reducing crime. However, people who live in the district understand that addressing the crisis is no easy task.
"I think they’re trying. It’s complicated to deal with people with different agendas, different opinions, different cultures, different thoughts, it’s complicated, it’s not easy. We got to give them some slack!" said one resident.
D.C. Council will vote on this massive public safety bill Tuesday. It is expected to pass.