U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen went to church last Sunday. Let’s leave aside whether he brings a spiritual side to his job of prosecuting criminals, but Machen likes to visit churches. He chose Matthews Memorial Baptist in Anacostia last weekend. “These are my constituents,” he tells me. “They see me in church on Sunday, it makes them more comfortable to see me in court, to serve on juries, to work with us.”

As a preacher, Machen was no match for Pastor C. Matthew Hudson, who belts it out and brings down the house every Sunday. But Machen’s sermon on trusting the authorities and coming together as a community to quell violence might be helping cops and prosecutors get bad guys off the street.