14th, 17th, U Street: Which Area Has More Crime?

Which area of the neighborhood had more crime during the first nine months of this year? Was it 14th, 17th or U St.?

According to the MPD Crime Database, the U St. area was the clear winner, followed by the 14th St. area. There were 265 reported crimes in the Jan. 1 – Sept. 30 period for the U St. area, 207 for the 14th St. area, and 148 for the 17th St. area.

Statistics for the U St. area encompass a 1,000-square-foot radius around the intersection of 12th and U St. NW. The 14th and 17th St. areas are similarly defined for areas centered at 14th and Q St. NW and 17th and Q St. NW, respectively. (See more complete definitions of these areas at the bottom of this post below the chart.)

Hot Spots

• Of the 265 crimes in the U St. area — both violent and property — 33 occurred on the 1300 block of U St. NW. There were 31 crimes on the 1900 block of 13th St. NW and 31 on the 1800 block of 11th St. NW.
• The hot spot for the 14th St. area was the 1400 block of P St. NW with 34 crimes. Another hot spot was the 1400 block of R St. NW with 20 crimes for the nine-month period.
• For the 17th St. area, there were 21 crimes on the 1600 block of 16th St. NW and another 31 crimes between 16th and 18th St. on P St. NW.

Violent Crime

• There were 62 violent crimes from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30, 2010, in the U St. area. This compares to 32 in the 17th St. area and 29 in the 14th St. area.The bulk of violent crimes are either robberies or assaults. Notably, violent crime is actually up in the U St. corridor when compared to 2008 and 2009.
• Gun crimes are homicides, robberies and assaults committed with a gun. U St. had the most gun crimes: 17, including the recent death of Jamal Coates on U St. There were eight gun crimes in the 14th St. area and three in the 17th St. area during the first nine months of this year.

Property Crime

• The U St. area also had the most property crimes from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30: 203. This compares to 178 for the 14th St. area and 116 for the 17th St. area.
• The most common property crimes are thefts and thefts from autos (“smash and grabs”). There were 108 thefts from autos in the U St. area during the first nine months of the year, compared to 52 in the 14th St. area and 44 in the 17th St. area.

Monthly Reports

Each month Borderstan runs crime statistics for three designated crime areas: 14th, 17th and U St. The statistics show the number of crimes during the previous month and compare that number to the same periods one and two years before — year-over-year reporting. Each crime reporting area is centered around a designated location and includes crimes that occurred within a 1,000-square foot radius: 14th and Q St. NW; 17th and Q St. NW; and 12th and U St. NW.

Earlier this month we ran the numbers for the first three quarters of 2010: 14th St.: Violent, Property Crimes Decline in 2010; 17th St. Area: Property Crime Down 46% YOY; and U St.: Assaults Drive Violent Crime Up. Each story has stats for 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Differences Among Reporting Areas

There are differences between the commercial areas of 14th, 17th and U St, which undoubtedly have an effect on the amount of crime:

• The 14th St. corridor is in the midst of rapid redevelopment, although there are still patches of empty storefronts and dead zones without ground-level retail. It is rapidly becoming the place to go for suburbanites and out-of-neighborhood visitors.
• The 17th St. strip from P to S St. is an older commercial strip with many long-established businesses. It is also smaller in scope with the west side primarily residential south of Q St. Like its more glamorous neighbor to the east, it is home to numerous restaurants, clubs and art galleries and retail stores, but on a smaller scale.
• The U St. corridor is a mix of old and new. This historic business district has undergone huge changes in the past decade with new residential buildings and a plethora of nightlife hot spots. On weekends, the densely populated area (both residential and business) is packed with people going to bars, restaurants and clubs.

Detailed numbers for each of the three areas are below the fold.

Crime Stats for Jan. 1-Sept. 30, 2010

Crime Type	14th Street Area	17th Street Area	U Street Area
Homicide	0	0	1
Sex Abuse	0	0	1
Robbery Excluding Gun	18	23	28
Robbery With Gun	7	2	13
Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (ADW) Excluding Gun	3	6	16
Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (ADW) With Gun	1	1	3
Total Violent Crime	29	32	62
Burglary	23	4	8
Theft	87	53	62
Theft From Auto	52	44	108
Stolen Auto	16	15	24
Arson	0	0	1
Total Property Crime	178	116	203
Total Crime	207	148	265

Source: MPD Crime Database

14th St. Crime Area

The 14th St. Corridor crime reporting area (see map above) covers a circular area that radiates 1,000 feet from 14th and Q St. NW–an area that roughly runs from 15th St. on the west to Vermont Ave. /Logan Circle on the east and from S St. on the north to Rhode Island Ave. on the south. The crime reporting is in Police Service Area (PSA) 307, part of MPD’s Third District.

17th St. Crime Area

The 17th St. Corridor crime reporting area (see map above) covers a circular area that radiates 1,000 feet from 17th and Q St. NW–an area that roughly runs from 18th St. on the west to 15th St. on the east and from S St. on the north to O St./Massachusetts Ave. on the south. The crime reporting is in Police Service Area (PSA) 208, which is part of MPD’s Second District.

U St. Crime Area

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