Crime coddlers in D.C.

It made headlines three years ago: Mayoral candidate Adrian M. Fenty, defying the growing sentiment that something had to be done about crime in the city, was the lone vote in the D.C. Council against an emergency bill introduced by then-Mayor Anthony A. Williams.

“I don’t think there’s any big city mayor who would say this is the way to solve crime,” Fenty said. “The recipe for having a successful big city police department is about having an energetic, well-managed police department.”