It’s been 10 days since D.C.’s mayor signed the sweeping “Secure D.C.” anti-crime bill into law.
The bill strengthens gun penalties, cracks down on organized theft and expands the definition of carjacking, among other things.
And while 10 days isn’t a long time, we’re curious about how things are going so far.
D.C.’s Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice Lindsey Appiah spoke with WTOP’s Nick Iannelli about how people’s perceptions about crime in D.C. don’t necessarily match the latest crime data numbers.
The transcript below has been lightly edited for clarity.
Nick Iannelli: So regarding work that’s being done, the Secure D.C. crime bill signed into law last week, as we said, how do you feel about how things are going so far? Can you tell us some of the impact it’s had so far; and in the near future, what you hope it’ll have?
Lindsey Appiah: One of the things that we’ve said is that our public safety and justice system is an ecosystem. And so, we know that policy is an important piece of that the mayor has repeatedly said, we need to rebalance our public safety and justice ecosystem, and the Secure D.C. bill is a huge part of that.
We already started to see impacts at the end of last year from the emergency bill that (the D.C.) Council advanced that incorporated a number of provisions that we had proposed in the mayor’s “Safer Stronger” bill. And so we continue to already see impacts of this legislation.
Certainly, one of the things that’s important is policing, we believe in constitutional policing, but we recognize that we have to have an environment that supports them. Our officers are engaged, are excited, are eager to continue the work they’re doing. One of the things we’re seeing is huge morale increases and boosts in our officers, which is important. And certainly, one of the tools that you’ve seen implemented is drug-free zones. We heard probably most about this from residents all throughout last year of wanting to be able to walk up their sidewalk and reclaim spaces in their neighborhood. Because there were emergency pieces put in, we’re already seeing the impact of that. It’s not about arresting, it’s about making sure that our residents are able to be in their spaces and feel safe … (we’re) really seeing that is an effective tool already.
Nick Iannelli: I’m glad you mentioned the drug-free zones, because that is one of the pieces that maybe has been a little more controversial. Some people have concerns about over policing. You mentioned that has already been impactful. Can you say, specifically, how that has been impactful so far?
Lindsey Appiah: When (D.C. Police) Chief (Pamela) Smith is asked about this, she reiterates we’re not looking to arrest people in drug-free zones, and people have complied with the law. That’s what we’re seeing. But what we were seeing then is areas where there was open-air drug activity — that is clearing up, it’s a very visible and sort of visceral and immediate impact of this particular provision.
And while controversial, I’m not sure if that’s the case, because again, we spent all of last year talking to residents and stakeholders across the District. And this is an area that we heard about almost more than any other, and we’re really appreciative that Council has given us this tool that we are seeing.
Nick Iannelli: It’s encouraging to see the (crime data) numbers go in the right direction so far this year. There are people who live in D.C., obviously, though, who still have major concerns about gun violence.
As a WTOP reporter, I was on the scene of a deadly shooting last year and a person who was near the scene told me that when they hear gunfire, they don’t duck anymore. They just don’t do it anymore. Could you just use your time here with WTOP to talk directly to residents who remain scared about gun violence, who are fed up with it. What is your general message to residents like that?
Lindsey Appiah: What I would say is that we hear you, and your safety, both your actual safety and your feeling of safety, is our top priority. There is too much gun violence in our country. And certainly, that’s the case in our city. What I would say is that I hope that what you’ve seen is that we are using every tool across all of our government, across all stakeholders, local and federal, to work together to ensure your safety.
We don’t want people to be traumatized. And so we are going to continue to push to continue to see the types of reductions in gun violence and all forms of violence and all forms of crime in the District so that people aren’t just surviving here but are really thriving and flourishing in every part of our city. It’s our No. 1 priority.
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