D.C. Council member Brooke Pinto, Ward 2 Democrat, introduced legislation Monday that would make permanent the emergency public safety initiatives implemented this summer.
Ms. Pinto’s Secure DC Plan would enshrine in law the broader pretrial detention standards that were included in the emergency crime bill the council passed in July.
The emergency legislation is set to expire on Oct. 18. Its revised detention standards give judges more latitude to keep adults and juveniles accused of violent crimes behind bars before trial.
Ms. Pinto’s proposal is more targeted toward juveniles, giving judges more leeway to detain underage suspects pretrial if they’re accused of homicide or carjacking.
Judges who release violent suspects would be required to issue a written explanation on why the individual was freed, according to the bill.
“We are experiencing a crisis of violence in the District, and we must address the gaps in our legal system in order to prevent the proliferation of violence in our communities. Too many of our residents are afraid,” Ms. Pinto, chair of the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, said in a press release.
The District has endured a yearlong crime wave, with violent crime up 38% compared to 2022 and all crime up 28%.
Year-over-year increases in all major offenses — from homicides (up 29%) and robberies (up 67%) to carjackings (up 101%) and sexual assaults (up 4%) — have added to a sense of unease among city residents.
“I hear from residents every day about the need for accountability when harm occurs and how desperately residents want to feel and be secure in their communities,” Ms. Pinto said in the release.
U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves, the federal prosecutor who prosecutes the most serious crimes in the District, voiced support for the bill in the press release.
Mr. Graves has come under fire for his office’s decision not to pursue two-thirds of the cases brought to him by the Metropolitan Police Department.
Other aspects of this summer’s emergency crime bill that Ms. Pinto is seeking to make permanent are the new felony offenses for strangulation and for firing a gun in public, as well as illegally disposing of a gun or ammunition.
Ms. Pinto also proposes setting up a “public roundtable” with Mayor Muriel Bowser, business leaders and residents to hash out how to curb retail theft in the District.
Her bill calls for improving lighting in commercial corridors, issuing civil fines to Metro fare evaders and inviting public oversight of the city’s violence prevention efforts.
Further, the bill would require the Office of Unified Communications to issue monthly reports on errors committed by 911 dispatchers and call takers, and to provide better nutrition and education services at the D.C. Jail.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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