U Street Area: Violent Crime Dips in Past Year; Property Crime Up

Featured image: All violent crimes in the U Street area, April 5, 2012, through April 5, 2013.

For the 12-month period ending April 5, total crime was up 7 percent in the U Street area (see map), driven by an 11 percent increase in property crime. Violent crime was down 10% percent, but crimes committed with guns increased by 21%. Most of the area is in Police Service Area (PSA) 305, with the very southern part in PSA 307 and the very western part in PSA 301.

Year-Over-Year Comparison

• Dates: The numbers are a comparison of the April 5, 2012, to April 5, 2013, period to the same dates in 2011-2012.
• Geographic Area: The area used for the crime statistics centers at 12th and U Streets NW and extends 1,500 feet in a circular radius — from Florida Avenue NW south to R Street NW, from 8th Street NW west to almost 15th Street NW.
• Data: All data is from the  Metropolitan Police Department’s crime mapping application.

Highlights: Crime Stats for U Street Area

Violent Crime: Violent crime was down 10% on a year-over-year basis, from 191 crimes in the 2011-2012 period to 172 in the 2012-2013 period (April 5 to April 5).

However, the number of crimes involving a gun increased from 28 to 34, including the February 23 homicide on 9th Street NW.

• Homicides: There was one homicide in the 2012-2013 period.
• Robberies: The total number of robberies declined from 146 in the 2011-2012 period to 137 in the 2012-2013 period. However, the number of robberies with guns increased from 23 to 28.
• Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (ADW): The total number of ADW decreased from 44 in 2011-2012 to 30 in the 2012-2013 period. The number of ADW with a gun was five for both time periods.

Property Crime: Property crime in the U Street NW area increased 11 percent from 743 crimes in the 2011-2012 period to 825 crimes in the 2012-2013 period.

• Theft from Auto: The most common crime is theft from auto (“smash and grab”). The number of thefts from autos increased from 382 in 2011-2012 to 407 in 2012-2013.
• Stolen Auto: The number of stolen autos increased from 33 in 2011-2012 to 50 in 2012-2013 in the U Street area.
• Burglaries: The number of burglaries increased from 51 in 2011-2012 to 61 in 2012-2013.
• Thefts: The number of thefts increased from 277 in 2011-2012 to 304 in 2012-2013.

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