D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Police Chief Pamela Smith attended a meeting on Capitol Hill with members of the House Oversight Committee and Accountability, chaired by James Comer, to address the city’s escalating crime problem. The District, under scrutiny by the committee, has seen a surge in criminal activity, particularly a murder rate on track to reach the highest level in two decades. Despite earlier concerns, the relationship between the Republican lawmaker Comer and Mayor Bowser seems to have evolved into a cooperative one, leading to a closed-door meeting instead of a congressional hearing.
Following the meeting that lasted a little over an hour, Mayor Bowser characterized it as a good-faith discussion. She highlighted the city’s efforts to combat crime, including policing strategies, and discussed needs related to judicial appointees and prosecutors. Although no additional resources were proposed by lawmakers, Bowser found the meeting helpful and mentioned specific areas of interest in addressing youth crime in the coming weeks.
This year, the city has experienced at least 925 carjackings, a stark increase from the previous year and a substantial rise from just a few years ago. Many of these incidents involve armed teenagers, as illustrated by the recent arrest of a 17-year-old for carjacking an FBI agent on Capitol Hill. Comer acknowledged the fear stemming from rising crime, citing instances of a congressional member and staff being victims of carjacking and mugging, respectively. He expressed a desire to collaborate with Mayor Bowser to improve and reduce the crime rate in the city.
The District has witnessed 253 homicides through December 6, marking a 32% increase from the same period last year. It is projected to record the highest number of murders since at least 2003. The public hearing on the mayor’s proposed crime bill featured dozens of impassioned testimonies from D.C. residents regarding criminal activity in their neighborhoods. Earlier this year, Congress rescinded a D.C. reform bill passed by the D.C. Council, citing concerns that it was lenient on crime.