DC Council Passes Emergency Public Safety Bill To Address Crime Crisis

Source: The Washington Post / Getty

The D.C. Council approved an emergency public safety bill on Tuesday, which supporters say will help curb the rise in violent crime and homicides this year. During the last legislative session before their regular two-month summer recess, the council acted with urgency, despite significant public lobbying by Mayor Muriel Bowser.

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Only Councilmember Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4) voted against it, and the vote was 12-1. Bowser promptly responded that it would make a difference. “The legislation passed today by the council will fill gaps in our criminal justice system, increasing accountability for violent and criminal behavior and making our city safer,” she said in a statement.

More importantly, the law would give D.C. courts more leeway in keeping individuals with prior violent offenses in jail until a new violent criminal trial, including adolescents. A separate bill that explains when police can engage in a car chase was also overwhelmingly passed by the council.

source: The DMV Daily

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