Stories in recent years reflect a general downward trend in overall crime in the Washington, D.C. area (see here, here, and here). However, we also experienced dramatic upswings in homicides in the District last year (see here). Of course, these numbers are D.C.-wide and given the importance of public safety, I took a look at what the numbers tell us about crime in our Riggs Park neighborhood. Has it gone up? Down? Which offenses are most frequent? Any trends in recent years?

To address these questions, I pulled the following data from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Crime Map*:

• Reported offenses, including arson, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, homicide, motor vehicle theft, robbery, sex assault, theft from autos, and other theft (as described here in D.C. Code).
• Date of reports made to MPD from calendar years 2009 to 2018 (note reporting date may be later than the date the offense occurred).
• Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 4B and 5A, which serve the majority of Riggs Park and nearby areas. (Note: ANC boundaries  were adjusted after the 2010 Decennial Census. ANC boundaries are larger than police service area (PSA) and neighborhood boundaries. PSA boundaries were redrawn in 2004 and again in January 2019. Crime trends at the ANC level may diverge from trends at the PSA and neighborhood level, but for purposes of this post ANC-level data are used as as indicators for trends in neighborhood crime).
• Note: Data presented here represent only reports of the offenses (no indication if the case was closed) and does not include demographic or other identifying information about the offenders or victims. The Crime Map did not provide data on illicit drug offenses. Further, the data are not normalized to the annual population changes in the neighborhood. 

Below are some of the findings. The complete data and my analyses are available here (excel spreadsheet). Please note that for each graph, the “X” axis represents the calendar year, while the “Y” axis is the aggregate number of reports made. Solid orange and gray lines represent ANC 4B and ANC 5A, respectively. Dashed orange and gray lines represent trendlines for the two ANC areas as well.

 
Assaults with a dangerous  weapon (ADW) are defined as aggravated assaults that knowingly or purposely cause serious bodily injury, threaten to do so, or knowingly engage in conduct that creates a grave risk of serious bodily injury to another person. In ANC 4B and 5A, these offenses apear to be trending downward over the decade (Figure 1, above). Since 2009, ANC 4B and 5A experienced a 31 percent and 55 percent decline, respectively, in reports of this crime.

Figure 2 shows that burglaries in the neighborhood are also trending downwards. Burglary is the unlawful entry of a structure, vessel, watercraft, railroad car or yard where chattels are deposited with the intent to commit any criminal offense. ANC 4B and 5A experienced a 58 percent and 43 percent decline, respectively, in this reported crime between 2009 and 2018.

Building on the downward trends, motor vehicle thefts, which are defined as the theft of any self-propelled, motor driven vehicle that is primarily intended to transport persons and property on a highway, also show declines over the decade. From Figure 3, we can see a 36 percent and 48 percent decline in the report of this offense in ANC 4B and 5A since 2009.

Robberies are defined as taking of anything of value from another person by force, violence, or fear. The downward trend in offenses goes for robbery too in our neighborhood. When looking at 2009 to 2018, a 64 percent and 41 percent decline were observed in ANC 4B and 5A, respectively, for reports of robbery (Figure 4). Not everything is going down though. As MPD officers regularly remind us at community meetings, thefts are a major problem. Generally speaking, theft is defined as wwrongfully obtaining or using the property of another with the intent to deprive the owner of the value thereof.

Not everything is going down though. As MPD officers regularly remind us at community meetings, thefts are a major problem. Generally speaking, theft is defined as wwrongfully obtaining or using the property of another with the intent to deprive the owner of the value thereof.

Let’s focus our attention first on theft from automobiles. This is specific foritems from within a vehicle, excluding motor vehicle parts and accessories. As Figure 5 shows, this offense has steadily risen in our neighborhood ANCs over the decade. ANC 4B and 5A experienced 10x and 2x increase in reports of thefts from autos when comparing 2009 to 2018.

Further, reports of other thefts (e.g., embezzlement, theft of services, fraud, and false pretenses) are a mixed bag. This category of offenses held relatively steady, according to the trendlines (Figure 6), over the decade in ANC 4B, while 5A did experience a modest decline.

Reports of homicide, sex assault, and arson were best displayed as absolute numbers rather than in graphical form (Table 1). For reference, MPD defines homicide as the killing of another purposely, or otherwise, with malice aforethought. Sex abuse is engaging in or causing another person to submit to a sexual act, by force, threat, fear, involuntary impairment, or rendering unconscious, where consent was not willingly given. Arson is the malicious burning, or attempt to burn, any structure, vessel, vehicle, railroad car or property of another.

Reports of homicide, sex assault, and arson were best displayed as absolute numbers rather than in graphical form (Table 1). For reference, MPD defines homicide as the killing of another purposely, or otherwise, with malice aforethought. Sex abuse is engaging in or causing another person to submit to a sexual act, by force, threat, fear, involuntary impairment, or rendering unconscious, where consent was not willingly given. Arson is the malicious burning, or attempt to burn, any structure, vessel, vehicle, railroad car or property of another.

Community members often express concern that the majority of crime in Riggs Park likely occurs within close proximity to the Riggs-LaSalle Recreation Center. So, I pulled those data too, and you can decide for yourself.

Table 2 below depicts the aggregate counts of offenses reported over the decade within a 1,500-ft radius of this ANC 4B facility. For those interested, additional data are available on the Lamond Recreation Center in the supporting materials linked above.

In summary, reports of offenses such as assaults with a dangerous weapon, burglary, motor vehicle theft, and robbery are trending downwards in our community, while reports of thefts from automobiles have risen over the decade. 

Though each offense is one too many, especially if you are a victim of the crime, the overall trend is promising for the Riggs Park area. The data show we’re moving in the right direction for the most part. We must build on this together by continuing to encourage public safety generally, getting to know our MPD officers, and by maintaining vigilance in our daily lives. Further, we must heed the advice from MPD officers and not keep any items of value visible in our vehicles.   We must not stay silent, but rather speak out when illegal behavior happens, like in this Next Stop . . . Riggs Park post. As we are reminded in community meetings, it is up to us, as community members, to report crimes when they occur. And yes, you actually can be anonymous when calling 911 and when texting tips to the police at 50411. By doing this, and remaining civil with each other in the process, we will achieve a community where everybody can feel safe and welcome in their neighborhood.