WASHINGTON — Police data shows that rates of homicide, sex abuse, arson and motor vehicle theft are all significantly higher this year compared to 2022.
According to the Metropolitan Police Department's (MPD) crime stats at a glance web page, violent crime in D.C. is up by 4% in 2023.
The DC Police Union took to Twitter Monday that the District has already reached 60 homicides. Meaning the District has seen a 33% increase in homicides this year compared to 2022.
One of those homicides was Christy Bautista, a Virginia woman who was in town for a concert when she was brutally stabbed to death in her hotel room. Her death spurred Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares to demand action from D.C. leaders, saying the officials' inability and refusal to enforce public safety laws and address crime rates is the reason Bautista was killed.
"Unfortunately, due to the proximity of our communities, D.C.’s crime problem has become Virginia’s crime problem," Miyares' letter reads.
In 2022, 203 homicides were reported in D.C., which was a decrease from 226 homicides reported in 2021. While both are high, neither reached the highest reported in a year compared to 2003, when 248 homicides were reported in the District. The year with the lowest number of reported homicides was 2012 with only 88.
Homicides are not the only crimes to have increased in 2023.
According to MPD's crime stats, sex abuse is up 62%, motor vehicle theft is up by 109% and arson has increased by 500% this year compared to last year.
WATCH NEXT: VA Attorney General says District responsible for woman brutally murdered in her hotel room
"Unfortunately, due to the proximity of our communities, D.C.’s crime problem has become Virginia’s crime problem," Jason Miyares' letter reads.