Mayor Bowser and DC MPD Chief Lanier addressed a crowd of media and neighbors to regarding this year’s spike in crime and to seek additional cooperation from the public.
To incentivize public cooperation, the city is increasing rewards for tips leading to a conviction to:
$2,500 for illegal guns
$10,000 for a shooting
The reward for tips leading to a conviction for homicides remains at $25,000.
The Mayor and City Council are also exploring areas where legislation may be helpful to law enforcement activities (e.g. making it easier to execute searches when there is suspicion of illegal firearms).
The Mayor also touched on the topic of making sure that the courts were pursuing appropriate sentencing in the prosecution of violent crime.
Chief Lanier touted police efforts leading to over 900 illegal firearms being confiscated, and recent efforts to crack down on things like illegal gambling, and other activities that have been precursors to violence.
They said the cause of the uptick in crime is not due to any single factor, and that the motives of the shooters has been diverse. They said the bottom line is that they need to get illegal firearms off the streets and out of homes.
Central Shaw Neighborhood Association 