WASHINGTON — After a massive crime omnibus bill passed its first vote last month, the DC Council voted again to approve the legislation Tuesday. The passage was nearly unanimous with
Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White abstaining from the vote, marking himself "present" as he did for the first vote.
Since the bill's first vote, there has been a lot of discussion about amendments to the Secure DC bill. Meanwhile, multiple groups have expressed concerns about some of the components, including the Washington Interfaith Network.
They worry that the focus of the Secure DC bill seems to be on policing, rather than building in the wraparound services that families need to succeed. The Network sent a letter to Council members and Mayor Muriel Bowser. It outlined the provisions they want to see removed from Secure DC.
"You need a commitment to a multi-pronged, comprehensive, forward-looking plan. Not a hodgepodge of aggressive tactics," said Rev. Rob Keithan. "What we've heard again and again — from violence interrupter programs, from people on the front line — is that D.C. is extremely bad at coordination. Programs don't talk to each other, they don't share information. That's the second ask in our religious leaders' letter, is that there has to be better coordination."
The group says its concerns lie mainly in the punitive nature of some parts of the legislation, some of which were tried in the past and are now being recycled. They also say District leaders aren't listening to what kids say they need to thrive, such as safe spaces to hang out, mental health support, and jobs.
DNA collection at the time of felony arrest was taken out of the bill last month, but bill sponsor, CM Brooke Pinto, fought to reinstate the measure Tuesday for violent felony and sexual assault misdemeanor arrests and only after a judge finds probable cause. Those changes seemed to satisfy most council members because the amendment passed 10-3.
“DNA is especially critical in solving crimes of sexual assault which often hinges on DNA,” said Councilmember Brooke Pinto.
But Councilmember At-Large who introduced the amendment removing the measure last month argued passionately against DNA collection.
“The expansion of DNA collection before conviction will burden almost exclusively Black residents. We all know despite being 47% of the population, 90% of arrests are Black residents,” McDuffie said. “I see this through a lens of civil rights, and I cannot vote against my conscience.”
An amendment by Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis-George returns the threshold of felony theft (which comes with a penalty of 10 years in jail) to $1,000. The original version of the bill lowered it to $500.
"A lot of the measures they're trying to pass right now have been passed and implemented successfully in Baltimore, Boston, and many other cities that have seen crime go down," said ANC 2C03 Commissioner Thomas Lee.
“All of the criminals who carjacked me had on ski masks, gloves,” said Neena Murphy Martin who supported the bill. “They know for a fact as soon as they cross that border into D.C. that our laws are not strong enough right now to hold them or keep them.”
But Dennis Corkery with the Washington Lawyers' Committee feared the pretrial detention provision of the legislation threatened to return us to mass incarceration. Corkery cited a recent scathing audit report on the Mayor's failure to hold safety agencies accountable.
"The DC council did not cause the crime crisis nor did the Mayor, but the Mayor has been asleep at the wheel on issues like the 911 center,” said Corkery. “It is the police's job to be investigating and deterring crime but when you have these drug-free zones and anti-masking laws it’s going to give MPD more opportunities for harassment especially when you have such a lax executive that's what's concerning here."
Some additional changes from Pinto include adding that the council's second member of the sentencing commission is a victim of crime, the first being a returning citizen. An emergency version of the bill was also passed and goes into effect for 90 days while the permanent bill works its way to the Mayor’s desk for signing followed by a 60-day Congressional review.
Mayor Bowser said she plans to sign it. Once she does, some aspects will take effect almost immediately.
Bower released a statement following the bill's passage, saying:
“Passing and implementing Secure DC is a critical step in the work to build a safer DC by rebalancing our public safety and justice ecosystem in favor of safety and accountability. Today, I am grateful for all the people who made their voices heard and demanded action. I am grateful for the leadership of Councilmember Pinto and all the councilmembers who listened to the concerns of our community and voted in support of common-sense legislation that recognizes the importance of accountability in our ecosystem. We are a city that is committed to creating opportunity and that believes in second chances, but we will not tolerate violence and we will not tolerate criminal activity that disrupts our sense of safety and our ability to build thriving neighborhoods. The provisions that were passed on an emergency basis last summer have already had a positive impact on crime trends. Together, we can continue to drive down crime and build a safer, stronger DC.”
Additionally, the U.S. Attorney's office released a statement Tuesday night, applauding the vote:
"The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia applauds the Council’s passage of the Secure DC legislative package. The provisions in this bill will provide crucial tools to police and to prosecutors as we collectively work together to hold those who commit crimes in our community accountable. And we are particularly grateful that the Council listened to our arguments related to DNA collection and developed a compromise position that allows for the earlier collection of DNA. This provision will both help solve violent crimes and prevent future crimes by removing these dangerous people from our community."
RELATED: ODCA releases report on holes in the crime ecosystem day before DC Council votes on crime bill
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