D.C. Mayor Bowser’s Crime “Crackdown” Too Little Too Late

Following years of soft-on-crime policies, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is now finally attempting to curb the city’s rampant crime. But critics argue her actions aren’t enough to overcome the radical anti-police actions of the city council, and say the two-term mayor has failed to take any accountability for her role in enabling the chaos.

Bowser’s most recent tack came last week as her office announced the Addressing Crime Trends Now Act, or “ACT Now plan.” The measure once again makes it illegal to wear a mask while committing a crime following the suspension of that law during the pandemic, creates new criminal penalties making it illegal to organize or direct anyone in a theft-for-profit scheme (an effort to address the spate of smash-and-go robberies throughout the city, which have seen pharmacy and convenience store shelves robbed bare) and allows the chief of police to declare temporary “Drug-Free Zones” to address open-air drug markets and loitering.

Most controversially of all for D.C. Democrats, the ACT Now plan partially reverses a blanket ban on chokeholds passed by the D.C. City Council in 2020 that makes any touching of the neck area by police a “serious use of force.” Under the new language, officers are allowed to make contact with a person’s neck but not the throat – a change requested by police after many officers reported being afraid to make any physical contact with a suspect even in necessary situations.

Under Bowser’s bill, D.C. Police officers could also engage in car chases in certain situations after a 2021 city council decision prohibited virtually all motor vehicle pursuits by police. Notably, following passage of that law, carjackings in the nation’s capital skyrocketed. There have been more than 800 reported carjackings in D.C. this year alone – already more than double the total number in all of 2022.

Other crimes in the nation’s capital have also climbed precipitously. Compared to the same time period last year, all crime in D.C. is up 27 percent. Violent crime is up 41 percent, robberies are up 70 percent, and homicides are up 33 percent. The city is currently on pace to record the most murders in two decades.

At the same time, the D.C. Police Department has struggled to retain officers and hire new ones as the city council wages an all-out war on law enforcement. The force has seen a net loss of 500 officers since 2020, with many citing the city government’s anti-police policies as a reason for leaving.

Acting D.C. police chief Pamela Smith was alongside Mayor Bowser to announce the new proposed legislation last week and offer her support. “The legislation is responsive to what we are hearing from the community and takes important steps forward in clarifying existing legislative language to ensure our officers are able to fully perform their duties,” Smith said.

However, the bill may face an uphill battle when it comes before the city council. Several liberal interest groups are already mobilizing against it, with the ACLU’s D.C. chapter accusing Bowser of being “more focused on protecting police officers when they break the law than on improving public safety.”

The council also has a history of being one of the most extreme anti-police legislative bodies anywhere in the country. Earlier this year, members voted to override Mayor Bowser’s veto of a law that eliminated mandatory minimum sentencing and reduced maximum penalties for crimes like robbery and carjacking. The measure also legalized nuisance and unsanitary behaviors like public consumption of alcohol and urination, raised the requirements for noise complaints, and made it more difficult for police to enforce penalties against carjacking.

The legislation was so radical, in fact, that even President Joe Biden signed a measure led by Congressional Republicans blocking the bill from taking effect, using Congress’s authority over the District.

However, it must be noted that Bowser herself participated in creating a culture of anti-police, soft-on-crime extremism in the nation’s capital. In 2020, she sought national attention by turning herself into a high profile opponent of President Donald Trump during the violent demonstrations in Washington following the death of George Floyd.

Bowser commissioned “Black Lives Matter” to be painted in giant yellow letters on the street directly outside the White House in an apparent attempt to “troll” Trump. According to Fox News, activists “soon added the message ‘Defund the Police’ to the street mural, as was seen in aerial images taken above the nation’s capital at the time.” Mayor Bowser did not have the addendum removed.

Bowser only changed her tune when it became clear that the crime was not subsiding – and when she was up for reelection.

Now, it appears Bowser is reaping the consequences of her actions. Having directly enabled and supported the rise of the Defund the Police and criminal justice “reform” movements, she is now taking only minor steps to reverse course.  

Andrew Shirley is a veteran speechwriter and AMAC Newsline columnist. His commentary can be found on X at @AA_Shirley.