U Street: Total Crime Down; Gun Crimes, Stolen Autos Up

A dramatic drop in the number of thefts from autos and thefts brought down the total number of crimes in July 2010 compared to July 2009 in the U Street area¹. There were 29 total crimes last month compared to 34 in July 2009–a 15% decline on a year-over-year (YOY) basis. These numbers compare to the 40 total crimes in the area in July 2008. All numbers are from the MPD Crime Database.

But the two numbers that stand out go against the trend: more stolen autos and more gun crimes. Details below.

Declining property crime. There were 24 property crimes in the U Street area last month compared to 31 in July 2009 and 35 in July 2008. Last month’s number represents a 23% drop YOY from July 2009 and a 31% drop from two years ago in July. Thefts and thefts from autos (smash and grabs) were all down YOY. The biggest drop was in thefts from autos (a trend we have seen all year in the Dupont-Logan area) and in thefts.

More stolen autos. While other property crimes declined, the number of stolen autos in the U Street area was up dramatically last month compared to July 2009. Nine autos were reported stolen compared to only one in July 2009, and seven in July 2008. Why? A guess would be the popularity of the U Street area due to its restaurants and clubs–making it a destination “auto shopping” location for car thieves, especially on weekends.

Violent crime: more robberies, more gun crimes. There were five violent crimes in the U Street area last month compared to three in July 2009 and five in July 2008. The noticeable change was in the number of robberies and gun crimes. There were three crimes involving guns last month (two robberies, one assault) compared to zero gun crimes in July 2009, and one in July 2008.

All three gun crimes occurred in the same area. The two robberies involving guns occurred on the 1300 block of Wallach Place NW and the 1300 block of T Street NW. The assault involving a gun was on the 1800 block of 13th Street NW.

The U Street Corridor crime reporting area¹ (see map) covers a circular area that radiates 1,000 feet from 12th and U NW–an area that roughly runs  from 14th Street on the west to 9th Street on the east and from W Street on the north to S Street on the south.

Total crime stats for May 2008, 2009 and 2010 are below the fold.

U Street Corridor¹ Crime Stats for July 2008, 2009, 2010

Crime Type	July 2008	July 2009	July 2010
Homicide	0	0	0
Sex Abuse	0	0	0
Robbery Excluding Gun	2	1	1
Robbery With Gun	1	0	2
Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (ADW) Excluding Gun	2	2	1
Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (ADW) With Gun	0	0	1
Total Violent Crime	5	3	5
Burglary	1	0	0
Theft	4	12	4
Theft From Auto	23	18	11
Stolen Auto	7	1	9
Arson	0	0	0
Total Property Crime	35	31	24
Total Crime	40	34	29

Source: MPD Crime Database

¹ The U Street Corridor crime reporting area (see map above) covers a circular area that radiates 1,000 feet from 12th and U NW–an area that roughly runs  from 14th Street on the west to 9th Street on the east and from W Street on the north to S Street on the south. This area is in Police Service Area (PSA) 305, which is part of MPD’s Third District.