Findings; purpose

(a) Findings Congress finds the following: (1) As of September 25, 2023, Washington, DC had recorded 24,996 crimes committed within the city limits, up 30 percent or almost 5,400 crimes from the same date in 2022. (2) As of September 25, 2023, 197 homicides had been committed in Washington, DC, up 29 percent from the same date in 2022 and nearly twice the total number of homicides in 2012. (3) As of September 25, 2023, violent crime incidents in Washington, DC are up over 37 percent from the same time in 2022, including 120 reports of sexual abuse (up 1 percent) and 2,545 reports of robberies (up 65 percent). (4) As of September 25, 2023, there have been 5,262 reports of motor vehicle thefts in Washington, DC, up 107 percent from the same date in 2022. (5) The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia has lost over 1,200 members since 2020. The total number of members is down 478 since 2020 and the staffing levels at the Department are the lowest they have been in over 50 years. (b) Purpose It is the purpose of this Act to combat the rise in violent crime in our Nation’s Capital by eliminating policies which place law enforcement personnel of the District of Columbia at risk and discourage them from serving, ensuring that such personnel will be treated equitably and fairly and the recruitment and retention of such personnel shall be increased.