WASHINGTON — After an increase in homicides this year, residents for the first time in almost a decade say that crime has become the biggest problem in the District.
More than one-third of respondents to a Washington Post poll say that crime is the biggest problem, up from 12 percent in 2011. One-quarter of respondents say they feel “not too” or “not at all” safe in their communities, also an increase from four years ago.
The poll results give good overall marks to Mayor Muriel Bowser, although a majority rates the mayor negatively on handling crime.
Even so, by a margin of nearly 2 to 1, residents polled believe the D.C. police are doing a good job. That’s down from 2014, but majorities of black and white District residents approve of the police.
In the wake of Black Lives Matter protests of police tactics in Baltimore, Missouri and elsewhere, 51 percent of residents in the poll think that the police haven’t been tough enough, and that a higher percentage of black residents than white residents say the police should get tougher.
The Post polled 1,005 adult District residents by landline and cellphone. The margin of error is four percentage points.
