DC Council passes first vote of 'Secure DC' crime bill (2024)

WASHINGTON — The DC Council passed a first vote of the "Secure DC" crime bill on Tuesday with a vote of 12-1.

The legislation dubbed "Secure DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2024,"proposed by Councilmember Brooke Pinto who chairs the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, takes from 12 bills prompted after a spike in violence in 2023.

More than 100 community activists descended upon the DC Council on Tuesday for debate and the first of two votes on the massive crime omnibus bill.

They say there’s a lot at stake and the Council needs to know where the people are on this bill. This is a Council meeting like few others – packed with advocates applauding, talking back and even jeering the councilmembers as they debated the bill and several amendments

The chairman even threatened to clear the chambers at one point because they were drowning out speakers.

The call went out earlier this week and they responded; activists from dozens of community groups – ministers, returning citizens, and civil rights advocates lobbying councilmembers ahead of Tuesday's legislative hearing – a hearing which was delayed by more than two hours as councilmembers discussed several concerns with the Secure DC omnibus.

The most controversial measures of the proposed bill include extending this summer’s emergency pretrial detention measures, allowing police to set up drug-free zones, and the collection of DNA evidence at the time of arrest.

Frankie Seabron of Harriet's Wildest Dreams said, "What’s at stake is mass incarceration. What’s happening right now the expansion of criminality when it doesn’t get to the root of the problem."

The legislation includes proposals that would create new gun laws in D.C. One of the initiatives would make it an offense to fire a gun in public. Another proposal would increase the maximum sentence for some gun-related crimes from one to five years.

During a Jan. 30 recent public safety briefing,Mayor Muriel Bowser told reporters that the District was not doing enough to deal with guns. She urged the Council to approve the "Secure DC" legislation.

Another proposal would allow judges to hold adults and youth accused of certain violent crimes like carjacking in jail until their trial.

Melissa Wasser of ACLU-DC said on Tuesday, "We would urge the council to have an evidence-based comprehensive public safety system that is more proactive than reactive."

Among the most controversial proposals is the one that would allow DC Police to create "drug-free zones" for up to five days.

Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker says his constituents have raised concerns about how the "high-crime" areas would be designated and work. "If you establish a drug-free zone, in a certain intersection or community, what stops them from going down the street?" Parker asked

At-Large Councilmember Robert White has called into question the need for the zones because the conduct that is being penalized is already punishable by DC code.

The "drug-free zones" have also caught the attention of the national civil rights organization Campaign Zero. The group's executive director, DeRay McKesson posted on X, "The #SecureDC plan by Bowser and Pinto is a 'do anything' plan that is just bad policy. And it surely won’t lower crime."

Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie said, "Right now, the bill would allow police to take DNA from someone who’s been arrested – not convicted, or person who’s been charged – just arrested. You think of all the cases the Justice Department has that are never prosecuted? You’re talking about a lot of DNA."

In fact, McDuffie says up to 66% of felony arrests are never charged. So his amendment called for police to collect DNA only after conviction passed 9 to 4.

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser released a statement on X Tuesday evening saying, "Today, the Council voted to advance Secure DC. Now, I urge the Council to act swiftly and hold a second vote this month. We must work with urgency to implement commonsense legislation that will rebalance our public safety ecosystem & make our communities safer."

Another yes vote on the Secure DC bill is needed for its formal approval.