Washington, D.C. Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! == Crime == {{Main|Crime in Washington, D.C.}} {{See also|List of law enforcement agencies in the District of Columbia}} [[File:MPDC.MFL.WDC.19January2018 (39879686101).jpg|thumb|[[Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia|Washington, D.C., police]] on [[Harley-Davidson]] motorcycles escort the [[March for Life (Washington, D.C.)|March for Life]] protest on [[Constitution Avenue]] in January 2018.]] Washington has historically endured high crime, particularly violent offenses. The city was once described as the "murder capital" of the United States during the early 1990s.<ref>{{cite news |last=Urbina |first=Ian |date=July 13, 2006 |title=Washington Officials Try to Ease Crime Fear |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/13/us/13deecee.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416000938/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/13/us/13deecee.html |archive-date=April 16, 2009 |access-date=June 10, 2008 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> The number of murders peaked in 1991 at 479, but then began to decline,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Klein |first1=Allison |last2=Zapotosky |first2=Matt |date=December 31, 2011 |title=As homicides fall in D.C., rise in Prince George's, numbers meet in the middle |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/as-homicides-fall-in-dc-rise-in-prince-georges-numbers-meet-in-the-middle/2011/12/21/gIQAjopBTP_story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120105123813/http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/as-homicides-fall-in-dc-rise-in-prince-georges-numbers-meet-in-the-middle/2011/12/21/gIQAjopBTP_story.html |archive-date=January 5, 2012 |access-date=January 2, 2012 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> reaching an historic low of 88 in 2012, the lowest total since 1961.<ref>{{cite news |last=Mollenbeck |first=Andrew |date=January 3, 2013 |title=District celebrates historically low homicide rate |url=http://www.wtop.com/109/3180337/District-celebrates-historically-low-homicide-rate |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117060430/http://www.wtop.com/109/3180337/District-celebrates-historically-low-homicide-rate |archive-date=January 17, 2013 |access-date=January 14, 2013 |newspaper=Wtop News |publisher=WTOP}}</ref> In 2016, the district's Metropolitan Police Department tallied 135 homicides, a 53% increase from 2012 but a 17% decrease from 2015.<ref>{{cite web |title=District Crime Data |url=http://mpdc.dc.gov/page/district-crime-data-glance |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160103063228/http://mpdc.dc.gov/page/district-crime-data-glance |archive-date=January 3, 2016 |access-date=December 11, 2015 |publisher=Mpdc.dc.gov}}</ref> By 2019, citywide reports of both property and violent crimes declined from their most recent highs in the mid-1990s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=District of Columbia 1960 to 2019 |url=https://www.disastercenter.com/crime/dccrime.htm |access-date=January 21, 2023 |website=www.disastercenter.com}}</ref> However, both 2021 and 2022 saw over 200 homicides each, reflecting an upward trends from prior decades.<ref>{{Cite web |title=District Crime Data at a Glance {{!}} mpdc |url=https://mpdc.dc.gov/page/district-crime-data-glance |access-date=January 21, 2023 |website=mpdc.dc.gov}}</ref> In 2023, D.C. recorded 274 homicides, a 20-year high and the fifth-highest murder rate among the nation's largest cities.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/interactive/2024/dc-crime-homicide-victims-shooting-violence/ |title=2023 was District's deadliest year in more than two decades |date=January 1, 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post |first1=Emily |last1=Davies |first2=John D. |last2=Harden |first3=Peter |last3=Hermann |access-date=February 11, 2024 }}</ref> Many D.C. residents began to press the city government for refusing to prosecute nearly 70% of arrested offenders in 2022. After months of criticism, the rate of unprosecuted cases dropped to 56% by October 2023βalbeit still higher than nine of the past 10 years and almost twice what it was in 2013.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/more-dc-arrests-prosecuted-as-us-attorney-pushes-back-on-criticism/3448952/ |title=More DC arrests prosecuted as US attorney pushes back on criticism |date=October 19, 2023 |work=[[WRC-TV]] |first=Ted |last=Oberg |access-date=February 11, 2024 }}</ref> In February 2024, the [[Council of the District of Columbia]] passed a major bill meant to reduce crime in the city by introducing harsher penalties for arrested offenders.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.fox5dc.com/news/secure-dc-crime-bill-council-unanimously-passes-legislation-to-reduce-crime-in-the-district |title=Secure DC Crime Bill: Council unanimously passes legislation to reduce crime in the District |date=February 6, 2024 |work=[[WTTG]] |first1=Bob |last1=Bernard |first2=Jillian |last2=Smith |access-date=February 11, 2024 }}</ref> Rising crime and gang activities contributed to some local businesses leaving the city.<ref>{{cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsMkRrhRsO8 |title=Crime, costs continue to push businesses out of the District |date=November 10, 2023 |work=WTTG |type=Television production |via=YouTube |access-date=February 11, 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2023/12/21/the-caps-and-wizards-are-leaving-dc-whos-to-blame/ |title=The Caps and Wizards Are Leaving DC: Who's to Blame? |date=December 12, 2023 |magazine=[[Washingtonian (magazine)|Washingtonian]] |first1=Luke |last1=Mullins |first2=Patrick |last2=Hruby |access-date=February 11, 2024 }}</ref> According to a 2018 report, 67,000 residents, or about 10% of the population, are ex-convicts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Obstacles to employment for returning citizens in D.C. |url=https://www.dcpolicycenter.org/publications/barriers-to-employment-for-returning-citizens-in-d-c/ |access-date=January 21, 2023 |publisher=D.C. Policy Center |date=August 17, 2018 |language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230121203200/https://www.dcpolicycenter.org/publications/barriers-to-employment-for-returning-citizens-in-d-c/ |archive-date=January 21, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> An estimated 2,000β2,500 offenders return to the city from prison every year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Reentry in the District of Columbia: Supporting Returning Citizens' Transitions into the Community {{!}} cjcc |url=https://cjcc.dc.gov/page/reentry-district-columbia-supporting-returning-citizens-transitions-community |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=cjcc.dc.gov}}</ref> On June 26, 2008, the [[Supreme Court of the United States]] held in ''[[District of Columbia v. Heller]]'' that the city's 1976 [[Firearms Control Regulations Act of 1975|handgun ban]] violated the [[Right to keep and bear arms in the United States|right to keep and bear arms]] as protected under the [[Second Amendment to the United States Constitution|Second Amendment]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Robert |last=Barnes |title=Supreme Court Strikes Down D.C. Ban on Handguns |date=June 26, 2008 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/26/AR2008062600615.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=June 27, 2008 |archive-date=June 27, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080627080423/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/26/AR2008062600615.html |url-status=live }}</ref> However, the ruling does not prohibit all forms of gun control; laws requiring firearm registration remain in place, as does the city's assault weapon ban.<ref>{{cite news |first=David |last=Nakamura |title=D.C. Attorney General: All Guns Must Be Registered |date=June 26, 2008 |url=http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dc/2008/06/dc_attorney_general_all_guns_m.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=June 26, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011085230/http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dc/2008/06/dc_attorney_general_all_guns_m.html |archive-date=October 11, 2008}}</ref> In addition to the [[Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia|Metropolitan Police Department]], several [[Federal law enforcement in the United States|federal law enforcement agencies]] have jurisdiction in the city, including the [[United States Park Police|U.S. Park Police]], founded in 1791.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/uspp/tauthorit.htm |title=U.S. Park Police Authority and Jurisdiction |access-date=August 13, 2011 |date=August 13, 2011 |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |archive-date=June 20, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080620140714/http://www.nps.gov/uspp/tauthorit.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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