WASHINGTON — Desperate to stop a huge surge in murders, D.C.'s mayor and U.S. Attorney just announced a plan to shift hundreds of gun cases from local to federal court.
They hope the initiative will help get repeat violent offenders off the street sooner.
Usually local crimes -- murder, robbery, burglary -- are investigated by D.C. police and prosecuted in Superior Court.
However, the new initiative from the U.S. Attorney Jessie Liu and Mayor Bowser would shift the prosecution for one crime -- felon in possession of a firearm -- from Superior Court across the street to federal court, where the FBI, the ATF, and the US Marshals can get involved sooner.
Having lost both a father and a son to gun violence, Mervia Headspeth, who lives in Petworth, is praying the federal prosecutions will make a difference. "I despise guns ... We're losing a lot of innocent victims."
Not everyone is convinced. D.C.'s Council Chair Phil Mendelson suggested it was a lot of drama that would have very little effect.
Councilmember Charles Allen is concerned that young offenders convicted in federal court will not be eligible for record-sealing and expungement under the Youth Rehabilitation Act.
Critics fear it's a step back toward mass incarceration.