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Congress to address rising violent crime in the District

Violent crime as a whole is up 40% from this time last year, and congressional leaders want answers.

WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders are holding a hearing on violent crime in the District on Thursday. This comes as homicides are stacking up at a rate we haven't seen since the '90s. Robberies are also up 70% since last year, and violent crime as a whole is up 40%, according to DC Police crime stats

There are two focuses at Thursday's meeting. One is the victims of violent crime, and the other is what the House Judiciary Committee calls a lack of prosecution and accountability. 

WUSA9 spoke with the U.S. Attorney Matt Graves in September and asked why his office declined to prosecute more than half of felony arrests this year. He told us that the law has changed a lot in the last few years, making it harder to win cases of search and seizure of a weapon, for example.

"Our highest court in D.C., the DC Court of Appeals, which is responsible for interpreting the Constitution, has issued a series of opinions over the last decade and the last five years, in particular, which have pretty much dramatically changed what officers can and cannot do when it comes to protective pat downs of individuals that they suspect might have illegal firearms which is a primary way that illegal firearms are uncovered," Graves said.

RELATED: 'We've lost 75%' of search and seizure appellate cases,' DC's top prosecutor says

He did testify in an earlier House Judiciary hearing that his office was issuing more charges this year.

Meanwhile, House Republicans have zeroed in on D.C. crime. Especially with members of Congress becoming victims themselves.

Last week, Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar became a victim of a carjacking in Navy Yard. 

RELATED: Texas congressman carjacked in Southeast DC; says police recovered his car 2 hours later

Back in March, Congress voted to overturn D.C.'s revised criminal code act, which DC Council had passed. Since D.C. isn't a state, Congress has that power, unlike other cities. 

D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton issued a statement ahead of the meeting, calling it undemocratic and paternalistic.

"I have one message for the current House Republicans: Keep your hands off D.C.”

Some of the witnesses we expect to hear from at Thursday's hearing include a pub owner who was attacked in his restaurant in front of his son, and a victim of an armed robbery in D.C. The head of D.C.'s Police Union is also expected to speak. 

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