D.C. Council Member Yvette Alexander’s harrowing experience at a local service station has spurred legislation to crack down on what she calls a “great threat” to the safety of District residents: gas-station crime.

Over the past year, Alexander said last week, there have been 632 crimes committed at D.C. gas stations, including 182 in Ward 7, which she represents. One of those incidents occurred June 10, when Alexander’s purse was pilfered from her Range Rover while it was parked at a Southeast station.