Three-month report card on District’s acting chief: Police visibility up, crime is too

Crime in the nation’s capital has shown little sign of abating, but the D.C. Council is expected to approve acting Chief Pamela Smith’s nomination as the District’s permanent top cop Tuesday.

Homicides, robberies, carjackings and sexual assaults have maintained year-over-year increases since Chief Smith took over the post on July 17.

The spike in shootings, holdups and violent car thefts are driving much of the angst over lawlessness in the District.

The chief, the first Black woman to lead the Metropolitan Police Department, is credited with putting more officers on the streets and in front of community members.

The chief anticipates her push to have more cops forge bonds with residents will build trust between Washingtonians and the police and help officers develop crucial leads they need to close cases.

She is looking for the D.C. Council to see the value in her plan. Local lawmakers have repeatedly called for a more visible police presence on sidewalks and in shops.

“The biggest accomplishment is our ability to stay engaged with our communities,” Chief Smith said about her short time running the department. “I think the community sees us [being] a little bit more present now.”

Academic and anecdotal evidence supports the chief’s directive.

Criminologist David Weisburd said “procedural justice” is an approach to lowering crime rates by being friendlier to citizens.

MPD’s public safety walks allow residents to see officers outside their usual crime-fighting duties.

Each of the city’s seven police districts must hold one walk a week. Sometimes, the walks involve city officials distributing anti-overdose medication Narcan to business owners. Others involve discussions about crime trends and concerns in their neighborhood.

One officer mentioned during a safety walk in the 3rd District that most people just want to be heard. The officer said that goes for the working professionals they encounter and the people they arrest.

Chief Smith was ultimately brought on to reverse the rising trend of gunfights, muggings and carjackings plaguing the city. Evidence indicates that she has made little difference in those areas.

Violent crime is up 40% so far this year, with significant year-over-year increases in homicides (up 33%), robberies (up 69%) and carjackings (up 104%).

The 231 homicides recorded in 2023 put the District on track to reach the highest number of killings since 2003, when the city reported 248 slayings.

Police statistics provided to The Times show that homicides jumped roughly 10% (to 82) during Chief Smith’s first 90 days on the job compared with the previous 90 days (72 homicides).

Chief Smith’s initiatives to reduce robberies and carjackings in targeted areas have produced mixed results.

Police statistics show a 10% decrease in robberies in the acting chief’s first 90 days on the job (970) compared with the previous 90 days (1,076). Still, robberies showed a year-over-year increase of roughly 60% when the chief took over in mid-July. Now, violent thefts are up 70% citywide.

Robbery arrests are also trending down. A total of 194 adults were arrested on robbery charges last year — a 31% decline from the 254 adults arrested in holdups in 2021, according to the D.C. Sentencing Commission.

Through the end of October, 145 adults were arrested in muggings this year. An additional 85 juveniles were arrested on mugging-related charges during that same period.

One arrest can close multiple investigations.

Police said a 16-year-old boy arrested in the 6th District last month was responsible for 19 robbery and carjacking offenses throughout June and July.

Authorities took Malique Tyrone Outland, 18, of Northwest, into custody last month in connection with nearly two dozen offenses, many of them robberies and carjackings.

Chief Smith said her robbery suppression initiative is examined at least twice weekly, with police leadership constantly adjusting the focus of enforcement.

MPD officers working the streets share mixed opinions about their new boss.

One officer, who spoke to The Times on the condition of anonymity, praised the chief’s attitude about policing. The officer said Chief Smith understands that cops must be empowered to do their jobs without tiptoeing around political eggshells.

The officer celebrated Chief Smith’s promotion choices, including elevating rising stars Tasha Bryant and Carlos Heraud into assistant chief positions.

Chief Bryant, the former commander of the 1st District, now oversees patrols in Capitol Hill, Navy Yard and the neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River.

Chief Heraud heads MPD’s Investigative Services Bureau. Up-and-comer Nikki Lavenhouse succeeds him as commander for the 4th District.

Another officer, who again spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Chief Smith was better than expected in handling disciplinary issues with officers.

This officer said the new chief is “in over her head,” in part because the police leadership is out of ideas for improving lagging recruitment.

“The higher-ups refuse to acknowledge how short we really are,” the officer told The Times.

MPD had 3,316 active-duty officers at the end of September, the lowest number in more than 50 years.

Gregg Pemberton, chairman of the D.C. Police Union, has testified before Congress about how detrimental the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Act has been toward recruitment and retention efforts.

The law, enacted late last year, makes it easier to fire officers over misconduct complaints and bans MPD from hiring officers with past misconduct issues.

Mayor Bowser said the goal of her recently proposed Addressing Crime Trends Now legislation was to create a policy environment that is more attractive to potential police recruits.