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WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — To say Robert Conte loves DC is an understatement, but the hometown police chief has a tough task — violent crime is on the rise in the district.
DC News Now had an exclusive roundtable with Contee this week. Mr Conti, who is about to mark his second anniversary since being approved by the city council, said crime would not hit his beloved city.
“We’re still in the fight. DC is a resilient city. I’m a resilient chief. I’m from the city. The communities here are resilient,” said Conti. rice field. “And there are still many months left… in a year of real perseverance.”
Homicides in the district are up 31%, and so are other crimes. Sexual abuse increased by 55% and car theft increased by 108%. Carjacking is also on the rise, especially among young people.
“When you talk about violent crime increasing by about 2%, actually at this point in the year, in the four months of the year, it’s very difficult to judge what that will look like by the end of the year. ,” said Contee. .
The chief added that the crime surge may not continue to rise.
“We started last year with an upward trend during the summer when crime generally increases here in Washington DC. 7% decrease, 10% decrease in homicides, 4% decrease in homicides, % overall reduction in crime,” Contee said.
DC News Now asked what it takes to fight crime.
“It’s not one thing. We didn’t just hire police officers, we didn’t just hire more prosecutors, we didn’t just change this law,” Conti said. “Because all of this… contributes to where we are now. It’s a slow decline that has occurred over time.”
Contee said one of the main challenges is keeping repeat offenders in prison.
“There is a problem with keeping the bad guys in jail. “If you point a gun in someone’s face, or shoot someone, or commit a robbery, or commit a violent crime, the onus is on you to prove that you belong to the community.” It should be on you and it shouldn’t be on you. The government has to prove it.”
Conti said his focus was on getting guns out of the hands of criminals, shifting from reducing the volume of firearm seizures two years ago to arresting people who use guns illegally. I explained why I wanted to.
“They’re the right guns and the bad hands are the people who commit violent crimes and keep showing up with report after report,” he said. [has been] Arrested 11 times. ”
The area where Conti agreed to visit has been rife with crime and is better known to some officers as a “war zone”. Violent crime has increased by 30% this year, and six people have been killed in the area in the past two years.
“Obviously I don’t feel good. It really makes me more determined,” he said. The dynamic thing about Washington DC is that you can drive two blocks and people have different experiences.
Work takes a toll on him at times, but Conti said that doesn’t stop him from going to nearly any crime scene.
“It was absolutely worth it. I mean, I feel like I got the best job in town,” said the chief. “Yes, I can see the worst of the worst. I can.”
DC News Now shared part two of the interview on Monday, with Contee discussing the political pressure on the job from the council and city council.
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