Those of you that are fans of “The Wire” will genuinely appreciate this report.
It is literally life imitating art.
Reports broke this weekend that D.C. Police were “juking” crime stats by withholding complete information from the city’s homicide unit.
Now, its mayor and chief of police are looking to point blame in another direction rather than their leadership abilities.
Juking the Stats and Placing Blame
In trying to figure out precisely what is going on regarding the city’s clearance rate for homicides, some key information was withheld.
Without that information, criminologists cannot correctly process the data they have already.
For instance, information such as detective caseloads and experience plays a role in accurately processing these reports, but D.C. is not offering this information, nor does it provide staffing levels.
Kristen Metzger, MPD’s deputy communications director, stated, “Unfortunately, we do not provide specifics on staffing levels assigned to designated units.
“Our department has the hardest working homicide detectives who work around the clock to follow all leads and bring closure to victims and their families.”
In addition to this problem, police and Mayor Bowser are now dealing with surging juvenile crime, but nobody wants to take the blame.
D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee stated, “Where does a 13-year-old get a firearm from? Where does two 15-year-olds get firearms from?
“But they go further to that to even use them in broad daylight … that’s unacceptable, and we’ve got to make sure there’s a mechanism of accountability in place to ensure that does not happen.”
Mayor Bowser pointed the finger at the court system being to blame.
She stated, “If it’s prosecuted, it goes to the court.
“The court can say, ‘No, this isn’t for us. You, we’re going to divert to this other agency.’ It could happen.”
Rep. James Comer (R-KY) sent a letter to Bowser demanding answers on the surge in violent crime.
She responded, “And you know juvenile crimes are prosecuted locally. They’re prosecuted by the attorney general for the District. So what happened? Those are questions that we have to ask.”
With all the blame now being focused on D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine, he also chimed in.
Racine stated, “Leadership is not about blaming. It’s about working together to reduce crime and increase public safety.
“My office prosecutes all violent crimes committed by juveniles where we have strong evidence, as the standard of proof is beyond a reasonable doubt, and where the arrest is constitutional.
“Anyone, including a young person, who commits a violent crime should be held accountable.”
He is also clearly trying to distance himself from other liberal D.A.s in cities such as L.A. and Manhattan, who are taking heat for their lack of prosecuting crimes.
Racine added, “Accountability is not inconsistent with our efforts to help them get the services and support they need so they are less likely to reoffend, making our communities safer.
“To address the increases in violence, D.C. needs leadership & a clear, consistent, all-hands-on-deck response.”
In 2021, D.C. spent $11 million in what was supposed to be funding for more police and programs to decrease violent crimes, yet the rates continue to climb.
Over the last two years, murders in D.C. rose to 198 in 2020 (a 19 percent increase from 2019) and up to 226 in 2021.
What exactly are the people getting for these massive investments?
Like most Democrat-run cities, D.C. has become mismanaged and violent, yet Democrats continue to get elected.
Perhaps if Bowser were not so busy cowering to BLM and painting murals in the street, she would have more time to fix these problems.
Source: Fox News
