Keeping criminals in jail and not letting them loose among the general populace is a way to reverse the increasing homicide rate in Washington, according to Robert Contee, chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The police chief was responding to a question from a reporter who asked about homicide rates in the district increasing 30 percent so far this year, and how the department planned to tackle the trend. Contee admitted that homicide rates saw a “slight uptick” at the beginning of the year.
“Right now, the average homicide suspect has been arrested 11 times prior to them committing a homicide. That is a problem … The average homicide victim also has been arrested 10 or 11 times prior to them becoming a homicide victim. That is a problem,” Contee said.
Youth And Crime
During an event in January, Contee raised concerns about the rising crime rate among youngsters.According to Contee, ten young people were arrested for homicide in the past year and nine in the year before. He criticized a violent culture among the youth.
“There’s something that is troubling our communities, this culture of violence that is showing up where violence is the only thing that’s respected within the circles of our young people.
“It’s showing up in schools. Ask the principals, they'll tell you. It’s showing up in schools and they’re scared. Kids are getting public safety transfers from this school to that school, only to run into similar issues. They’re scared. Parents are scared.”
Reducing Crime Sentences
Contee’s March 6 comments come as Democratic D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson withdrew a controversial bill aimed to reduce sentences for criminals—the opposite of what the police chief said in needed to reduce the killings.Mendelson’s Revised Criminal Code Act (RCCA) sought to rewrite the district’s criminal code so that maximum penalties for crimes like robberies, carjackings, burglaries, and so on would be reduced. The measure also scrapped several mandatory minimum sentences.
The proposal was passed by the D.C. Council. However, it was met with strong opposition from Republicans and some Democrats who are also concerned about how decreased criminal penalties are affecting crime rates. It was vetoed by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat.
The House of Representatives introduced a measure to overturn the proposal while the Senate was set to vote and block it.
Mendelson told reporters that the bill was withdrawn so that the Council could rework it before submitting it again.