Crime is up, but murder is rare
On Saturday afternoon, Matthew C. Shlonsky, a recent graduate of American University, was murdered on Seventh Street near the Shaw Metro’s north entrance. Mr. Shlonsky’s murder is part of a documented uptick in violence across Washington.
Crime has risen and MPD’s online data tool reveals this.
LeDroit Park, Howard University, and the section of Shaw near Progression Place are in police service area (PSA) 306. Over the past 12 months, violent crime has increased 8.1%, property crime has increased 4.9%, and total crime has increased 5.4% compared to the 12 months before that.
| Number of Crimes Reported Between | ||||
| Crime Type | 8/17/2013 to 8/17/2014 | 08/17/2014 to 08/17/2015 | Change | |
| Homicide | 0 | 1 | +1 | |
| Sex Abuse | 4 | 4 | 0 | |
| Robbery Excluding Gun | 19 | 24 | +5 | |
| Robbery With Gun | 17 | 14 | -3 | |
| Assault Dangerous Weapon (ADW) Excluding Gun | 20 | 16 | -4 | |
| Assault Dangerous Weapon (ADW) Gun | 2 | 8 | +6 | |
| Total Violent Crime | 62 | 67 | +5 | |
| Burglary | 21 | 13 | -8 | |
| Theft | 129 | 140 | +11 | |
| Theft F/Auto | 157 | 168 | +11 | |
| Stolen Auto | 20 | 23 | +3 | |
| Arson | 1 | 0 | -1 | |
| Total Property Crime | 328 | 344 | +16 | |
| Total Crime | 390 | 411 | +21 | |
However, when looking at year-to-date numbers for 2015 (Jan. 1 – Aug. 18, 2015) versus the same range last year (Jan. 1 – Aug. 18, 2014), violent crime declined 8.1%, property crime tumbled 10.9%, and total crime in the fell 10.6%.
| Number of Crimes Reported Between | ||||
| Crime Type | 1/1/2014 to 8/18/2014 | 01/01/2015 to 08/18/2015 | Change | |
| Homicide | 0 | 1 | +1 | |
| Sex Abuse | 3 | 0 | -3 | |
| Robbery Excluding Gun | 11 | 12 | +1 | |
| Robbery With Gun | 10 | 6 | -4 | |
| Assault Dangerous Weapon (ADW) Excluding Gun | 11 | 10 | -1 | |
| Assault Dangerous Weapon (ADW) Gun | 2 | 5 | +3 | |
| Total Violent Crime | 37 | 34 | -3 | |
| Burglary | 15 | 9 | -6 | |
| Theft | 87 | 72 | -15 | |
| Theft F/Auto | 84 | 85 | +1 | |
| Stolen Auto | 16 | 14 | -2 | |
| Arson | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total Property Crime | 202 | 180 | -22 | |
| Total Crime | 239 | 214 | -25 | |
Mr. Shlonsky’s murder, though tragic, is rare. In the past five years, the only other person murdered was a man found with stab wounds in car that crashed on Florida Avenue in the early hours of May 1, 2012. He was believed to be driving himself to the hospital.
Residents concerned about crime are encouraged to attend the ANC 1B public safety meeting on Thursday, August 20 at 7 pm at the Thurgood Marshall Center (1816 12th St NW).
[This post has been updated to include year-to-date crime numbers.]
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