The city of Washington, D.C., just tallied its 100th homicide of the year — a threshold typically not crossed until October.
June is the earliest month that tragic record has been broken since 2003, according to a local CBS affiliate. D.C. Police Union Chairman Gregg Pemberton recently claimed that the city’s recent “police reform” is to blame for the rise in homicides, among other crimes.
“This increase in crime is due to the DC Council’s implementation of misguided ‘police reform’ legislation,” Pemberton told the outlet.
In 2020, in wake of the George Floyd riots and nationwide calls to “defund the police,” the D.C. city council voted to cut millions of dollars from the police department and repurpose that money toward other community efforts. Since then, more than 500 police officers have left or retired from the D.C. police.
“The Council’s actions have had a chilling effect on professional and responsible policing,” Pemberton told the press. “Other major cities that have passed similar legislation have also experienced the mass departure of police personnel and, as a result, surges in crime. While the Council does its business inside a building protected by armed security, police officers in the real world are unable to do the impactful and necessary tasks needed to protect the public and apprehend violent criminals.”
WUSA9 also reported that in the nation’s capital, homicides “in 2022 have increased 16% this year, over last year’s 14% increase. Homicides in Ward 1 are up 166% this year. Robberies citywide are up 32%. And so far this year, there have been nearly 200 carjackings in D.C.”
Fox News recently reported, “Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Baltimore, Milwaukee, and Atlanta have all seen homicide numbers outpace their mark from 2021 halfway through this year, with Milwaukee seeing the largest spike of the group…Wisconsin’s largest city has recorded 96 homicides as of June 17 compared to 77 at this time a year ago, a 24.7% increase.”
In late June, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that new police officers in the capital will receive a $20,000 signing bonus.
“We know how critical it is to have a fully staffed and resourced MPD, and that requires us to hire strong talent and to retain experienced officers,” Bowser said while announcing the plan. “These hiring bonuses will help MPD recruit and hire more officers to keep our city safe.”
The plan will take place on an “expedited” schedule, The Washington Examiner noted.
“We sent the budget to the council in March, and that budget will be available on Oct. 1. But the chief came to me, and he said, ‘Mayor, it is my job to tell you what we need. And what we need is to be able to put those bonuses in place right now so that we are competitive,’” Bowser said. “We have a lot going for us, and I want everybody to understand that this government won’t stop until we drive down violent crime.”