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Violent crime in D.C. spikes
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WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Violent crime in the District of Columbia jumped by 9 percent last year, according to the FBI’s preliminary report, despite boasts by the Metropolitan Police Department in January that 2006 was the safest in decades.
The increase follows a nationwide trend in which the crime rate has increased for the second consecutive year. The news comes while D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier deals with four murders this weekend, including that of a 13-year-old boy. For the year, the District has suffered 74 murders compared with 63 last year, an increase of 17.5 percent.
In updating the D.C.’s numbers for 2006, the crime rate for last year went from a 2.4 percent decrease from 2005 to a 9.1 increase — an 11.5 percent swing.
The main problem, MPD Research Director Anne Grant said, is that the police department enters crime reports into two databases — one the police use to track daily trends and another to report to the FBI each year. Because crimes are categorized differently from D.C. Criminal Code to the FBI’s code, it takes several months to reconcile the two databases. Lanier wants to have one database.
D.C. police said an internal audit last summer discovered that some crimes were misclassified or not properly entered into the department’s computer tracking system, and the department was working to reconcile the discrepancy.
Kristopher Baumann, chairman of the Fraternal Order of Police Labor Committee, said the previous police administration manipulated the numbers to give the perception that the city was safe.
“They’ve been lying about the crime stats for years,” Baumann said. “It’s the same old MPD shuffle.” By underreporting crime, the department can’t get the resources it needs to fight crime, Baumann said.
The problems in the recording of crimes were highlighted last October in a D.C. inspector general investigation that was launched after nearly 480 missing reports were discovered in a clerk’s desk in Southwest D.C.
While blaming the missing reports on a retired crime analyst, the investigation revealed that the district commander had downgraded some serious crimes to minor offenses.
smccabe@dcexaminer.com
Comments from Examiner Readers
9:48 AM MST on Tue., Aug. 21, 2007 re: "Sheriff: Report fails to show entire picture"
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Examiner Reader said:
Read through the lines. All this article is about is a Sheriff trying to discredit good things that are happening in a county. The UCR is the most accurate means of analying serious crime for mostpolice departments in the U.S..... They are just trying to expand their department by discrediting other's good work and this is the only way they know how to do it! The people in Carroll County think that they pay alot for the MSP, wait until they get a county police force - then they will really pay no matter what this guy says - just look at the property taxes and expenses in other counties.
135 agree | 121 disagree
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Concerned Resident said:
It sounds as if the State Police have adjusted the crime stats to save their outdated resident trooper program ! Doesnt crime go up when they want more money for troopers in Carroll County ?
147 agree | 130 disagree
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Annapolis Defense Attorney said:
Yeah don't and don't forget about all of those bong cases that go unreported each year! Thank God we pay taxes to the police to stop those horrible criminals.
169 agree | 126 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
500 or 1,000 more poilce officers will not help. The base problem is lack of respect, which starts in the home. Once the population realizes that the police and teachers can not be the parents to your kids, this whole sad situation may turn around.
164 agree | 152 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Could it be Management? Has anyone asked that question? Now that we have looked at numbers let's look at the quality of the leadership. At this point it is not about how many police, it is about what they are doing. Where is the strategic plan? That is why Mitchell's plan of the three Mayoral contenders is so weak. These folks can't get think outside of the box, and the entire city is suffering.
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Examiner Reader said:
Clearly, based on the above article, it is not that we have too few police. Other cities have close to the same number in proportion to their population but less crime and homicide. This tells me that the policedepartment is malfunctioning. Before we get more officers we need to put the ones we have to good use.
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Examiner Reader said:
Kareem Timmons was an ex-boyfriend of mine about 10 years ago. I miss him and loved him dearly. He was a very kind hearted person.
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