The D.C. Council on Wednesday responded to a recent crime spike by adopting emergency legislation that will put more police officers on the streets, install more surveillance cameras in high-crime neighborhoods and institute earlier youth curfews.
Its opponents argue, however, that the measure will look good to voters but accomplish nothing.
The bill, introduced by Mayor Anthony Williams, will be in effect for no more than 90 days. To pass it, as the council did by a 12-1 vote, lawmakers returned from their summer recess, which this year is consumed by campaigns either for re-electionor higher office.
“We have seen a record spike in violent crime in the District of Columbia,” said Council Chairman Linda Cropp, a leading candidate for mayor. “That is not acceptable. … Make no mistake about it — we’re fighting back.”
Police Chief Charles Ramsey declared a crime emergency last week in response to a start-of-summer crime spike.
The legislation allows the mayor to set youth curfew as early as 10 p.m., authorizes installation of surveillance cameras, requires release of confidential information about certain juvenile delinquents to police and makes it more difficult for alleged violent criminals to win release on bail.
Williams will also spend $8 million in reserve funds to pay police overtime, which he says will immediately put 300 more officers on the streets for a six-week period. Additional dollars will be directed into gang intervention and recreation programs.
Ward 4 Council Member Adrian Fenty, a front-runner in the mayor’s race, vehemently opposed the proposal. The package is “very much knee-jerk,” he said, and the council is “rubber stamping what the executive branch has proposed, which does absolutely nothing.”
“I think people know these are not ways to stop crime,” Fenty said. “We are tinkering around the edges.”
Crime stats from July 11 through Monday
» 1,240 arrests, including 96 juveniles
» 171 violent crimes, same as 2005
» 228 curfew violations, compared to 82 in 2005
» 77 guns recovered
