The Washington, D.C. city council on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill that would reduce maximum penalties for certain violent crimes.
The maximum punishments for offenses such as burglaries, carjackings, and robberies would be lessened under the measure. It would also eliminate most mandatory minimum sentences and allow for jury trials in almost all misdemeanor cases.
Progressive Mayor Muriel Bowser voiced her opposition to certain provisions and said she would consider vetoing the measure. On Monday, she wrote a letter to the chairman of the council, Phil Mendelson, voicing her concerns with it. While she agreed with the panel that the “outdated decades-old” code need to be modernized, she suggested that the new proposed penalties for serious violent crimes are not punitive enough.
She cited the United States Attorney’s office, which believes the penalties for “burglary, robbery and carjacking are too low, and have the potential to dramatically drive down the sentences that are currently imposed.”
“I hear from DC residents daily who are most concerned about being attacked in their home, car, or on our streets. Reducing the current legal penalties for these violent offenses sends the wrong message to our residents when we are using every resource in our government to drive down crime,” she wrote.
The measure would also legalize nuisance and unsanitary behaviors like public drinking and urination, raise the requirements for noise complaints, and make it harder for police to enforce unauthorized use of vehicle offenses. The legislation also leaves unclear whether police can make arrests for using public space to block the entrance to an individual’s home or office, Bowser noted.
Every member of the council approved the bill in a first vote. The five-member judiciary and public safety committee also unanimously rubber-stamped it. The council debated an amendment over gun crimes on Tuesday before ultimately voting not to incorporate it into the code. Pitched by councilwoman Brooke Pinto, the amendment would counteract the provision of the proposed code that would “weaken already lenient sentencing for gun possession by reducing current penalties for Carrying a Pistol without a License and Felons in Possession,” Bowser wrote.
D.C. is one of the progressive cities that has experienced a crime surge in recent years. Robberies are up 5 percent and motor vehicle theft is up 2 percent in the city on the year as of November 16, according to Metropolitan Police Department crime data. In 2021, assault with a dangerous weapon was up 3 percent and robbery was up 2 percent, although homicides and sex abuse decreased, for a total 3 percent increase in violent crime in D.C.