Facing 'emergency,' DC prepares to pass new crime bill
D.C. Council it expected to vote on a crime bill on Tuesday as city leaders say the city is in a "state of emergency" due to crime Politicians in the nation's capital are expected on Tuesday to pass what is being called an emergency public safety bill to address rising crime rates in the city. As of Monday, homicide in Washington was up 17% year-to-date compared to 2022, while reported robberies were up 52% and motor vehicle thefts were up 117%, according to police statistics. "We are in a state of emergency right now. ... And like in any emergency, we have to act like it and we have to act urgently as a government to address the problem that we're seeing," Councilmember Brooke Pinto told reporters on Monday. MORE: 9 injured in drive-by shooting in DC during July 4 celebrations, police say Pinto, who chairs the council's judiciary and public safety committee, said that "when we have members of our community being shot and killed at rates that we h...