Last week’s Super Tuesday presidential primary elections overshadowed a critical piece of legislation being voted on in our nation’s capital. The Washington, D.C., council approved a sweeping anti-crime bill known as Secure DC intended to crack down on rising crime in the city. The bill attempts to send a message to the community that crime will not be tolerated, but to make this a reality, city leaders must go much further than this bill alone.

The continuation of violence in Washington stands in harrowing contrast to largely positive crime trends of late. Most of the country has thankfully begun to see a slow decline in violent crime rates. In fact, the FBI has reported that violent crime rates are overall trending back down to pre-pandemic levels. Yet, Washington experienced a 39% increase in this statistic last year, prompting the Department of Justice to commit to giving more resources directly to the city.