Most People Arrested in DC Don’t Get Charged, Data Reveal

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, two-thirds of Washington, D.C., arrested persons never face criminal charges.

Of the 15,315 D.C. police arrests made during fiscal year 2022 the U.S. Attorney’s Office did not prosecute 67 per cent. This percentage includes 8,238 misdemeanor arresteds and 2,023 convictions. The report comes as the city council recently withdrew its controversial criminal code revision, which reduced penalties for illegal gun possession and carjacking, among other offenses, after congressional Republicans and President Joe Biden signaled they would overturn the legislation, citing the city’s skyrocketing crime rates. The resolution by Congress was criticized by Democrats who supported the new code. “an absolute travesty” For the cause of D.C. statehood.

The trend was attributed by a spokesperson for the attorney’s offices to the unreliable forensic tests of evidence and the use of body cameras by police officers, according to the Washington City Paper reported:

“First, because the district’s Department of Forensic Sciences evidence lost its accreditation, we often cannot secure the drug testing, DNA, and firearms testing we need to successfully prosecute these offenses,” According to [U.S. Attorney’s Office]. “Second, we have, in the last few years, been able to incorporate body-worn camera [footage] into our charging decisions, which allows us to identify challenges before we charge. As a result, we are seeing fewer charged cases being dismissed by courts.”

[The Metropolitan Police Department] It equipped its officers with body camera cameras by the end 2016 which coincides roughly with the current trend of disparities in arrests and prosecutions. Particularly, body camera footage can reveal flaws within police work and could weaken other evidence in a case. The Washington Post Recent reports indicate that up to 90 cases involving drug and guns have been dismissed in D.C. Superior Court over the past two years, after serious doubts about their veracity. [police] Officers in the Seventh District.