There’s been plenty of grist for the sensationalist local news mill this year, between the robbery scare and subsequent police crackdown in Adams Morgan and the budding crime wave in Georgetown. Regardless, many Washingtonians are quick to disregard the breathless news segments as more of the same from the 11 o’clock doomsayers. As actual crime numbers for the year to date pile up, however, it does appear that the District might be struggling to continue recent trends toward increased safety.

Through yesterday, homicides in the city are up slightly over the same period last year, at 19 from 2005’s 17. While disappointing, that jump isn’t unusual, particularly considering the warm weather we’ve experienced so far this year; with more people out and about more hours of the day, the opportunities for criminal activity increase. Of greater concern, potentially, are jumps in the incidence of assaults with a deadly weapon and burglaries, particularly in the growing center of the city.