Theft in the District of Columbia Patterns and Trends, 2000-2009

Group: Urban Institute District of Columbia Crime Policy Institute

URL: http://www.dccrimepolicy.org/Briefs/images/DCPI_TheftBrief_1.pdf

Description

After the mid-1960s, theft rates in Washington, D.C., were higher and more volatile than rates for the nation as a whole. Since then, rates in Washington, D.C., have dropped but remained higher than the national level in 2009. Weekly theft counts increased significantly from 2005 to 2009 by approximately 25 percent. Thefts clustered in the central city areas, near business and retail activity. A hot spot was found in the Dupont Circle neighborhood in 2000, but by 2009, thefts clustered strongly in Columbia Heights. A drop in thefts in two central-city neighborhoods also raised questions about what caused those drops.

Tags

theft, larceny, property crime, trends, crime trend, theft rates, law enforcement, police

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