Rachel Kurzius
Photo by Tim Brown.
A comparison of crime rates in the country’s 30 largest cities found that three cities—one of which is Washington, D.C.—account for more than half of the national increase in murders from 2014 to 2015.
The report, from the Brennan Center for Justice, found that crime overall in the 30 largest cities decreased by 0.1 percent across the country. In D.C., the overall crime rate from 2014 to 2015 went down by 5.1 percent, but the violent crime rate increased by 2 percent.
When looking specifically at homicides, D.C.’s rate increased 54.3 percent, going from 105 in 2014 to 162 in 2015. When combined with Baltimore and Chicago, the three cities account for more than half of the national increase in murders—a difference of 244 from 2014.
The Brennan Center explained the data this way:
While this suggests cause for concern in some cities, murder rates vary widely from year to year, and there is little evidence of a national coming wave in violent crime. These serious increases seem to be localized, rather than part of a national pandemic, suggesting that community conditions remain the major factor.
Other, more populous cities like New York City and Los Angeles had more overall murders in 2015, but they represented a smaller percent change.
As of yesterday, D.C. recorded 31 homicides in 2016 according to Metropolitan Police Department data—the exact same that had occurred in 2015 by April 19. Violent crime year-to-date increased by 14 percent.
D.C. Police did not respond to a request for comment.
