WASHINGTON — It has been a good year for D.C. police, should the trend continue for another week.
Overall crime is down by about 4 percent, according to D.C. police figures, while homicides are down 18 percent from last year. They are still 25 percent higher than 2014 and 29 percent higher than 2013, showing how big of a homicide spike the nation’s capital experienced last year.
But categorically, crime is lower across the board with some minor exceptions.
TArsons in the District are down to just six, a 65 percent decline from last year and 82 percent lower than 2014. For comparison, Baltimore had seen 242 arsons this year as of Dec. 17.
Robberies without a gun and burglaries are each down 17 and 16 percent, respectively, both continuing trends seen in recent years.
The biggest percentage increase was in sex abuse, up about 4 percent. Assaults with a deadly weapon involving a gun and robberies involving a gun were the only other categories seeing small increases.
The increases in gun crimes, however, continue a trend of increasing gun crimes in both Washington and Baltimore. D.C. saw double-digit percent increases in those crimes last year.
While Baltimore’s murder count is down about 7 percent from last year, it is still much higher than recent years before 2015. Non-fatal shootings continue to rise in Charm City, up 4 percent after last year’s 72 percent spike.
Overall crime in Baltimore is down 2 percent, thanks to across-the-board decreases in property crime.
However, violent crime is up 9 percent in the city, with robberies up 16 percent. The biggest increases in robberies were in some of the city’s trendiest areas.
The southeastern district, which includes areas like Canton and Fells Point, has seen robberies increase by 43 percent. The southern district, which includes Federal Hill and the stadiums, saw a 39 percent increase. And the central district, which includes the Inner Harbor and downtown, has seen a 22 percent jump in robberies.
