(RightWing.org) – Washington, DC, is feeling the consequences of soft-on-crime policies. The city’s homicide rate has reached levels not seen in two decades, but local legislators still tried to force through a bill that would cut penalties for violent crimes — until Congress stepped in and blocked it. Law enforcement in the nation’s capital is still at a crisis point, though, and that’s taking a deadly toll.
On June 6, DC reached a grim milestone — the city’s 100th homicide of the year. A press release from the DC Police Union said that over the last 10 years, the average date of the city’s 100th homicide was October 25. In 2021, it was July 10; in 2022, it happened on June 24. This year is the earliest date of the 100th homicide since 2003.
According to the Police Union, one driver behind the rising tide of violence is the city council’s “implementation of misguided police reform legislation.” A recent law placed new limits on law enforcement, including a ban on neck restraints, and tougher disciplinary rules for officers. The council also passed a criminal code reform that reduced the penalties for several serious crimes, including carjacking and homicide. Congress has oversight of DC laws and passed bills to overturn both — but while President Joe Biden signed the bill striking down the criminal code reform, he refused to block the police reforms.
On top of the police reform law, DC’s US Attorney is increasingly reluctant to prosecute suspects arrested by the cops. In 2022, he refused to prosecute 67% of cases. Chief Robert Contee of the Metropolitan Police Department says he’s concerned about this and that his department believes “every person we arrest should be off the streets.” Unfortunately, that isn’t happening, and with 2023 homicides running at 20% higher than last year, those streets are more dangerous than they’ve been in a long time.
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