Washington officials say they'll work to keep ex-gun offenders from committing new violent crimes.
D.C. will track violent gun offenders as they go through the criminal justice system, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and Police Chief Cathy Lanier said Tuesday morning at a news conference.
The leaders said they're frustrated by existing measures to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.
"To take guns off the same person over and over and over again is just unacceptable -- that we're putting our police officers at that level of risk and our community at that level of risk," Lanier said. "Every time my police officers have to take a gun off an armed suspect, that's an opportunity that my officer may be killed and not go home."
The rate at which violent gun offenders are committing new crimes, "homicides in particular," has nearly doubled, Lanier said.
In 2015 thus far, 21 murder suspects were under court-ordered supervision at the time of the offense, police said. Among murder victims, 26 were under court-ordered supervision when they were killed. Six homicide victims and 10 homicide suspects had prior murder charges but were back on streets.
Under the new plan, repeat gun offenders will be put on a list and monitored once they're released from jail. Also, they will be offered job training and social services.
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"If they're caught with a gun once they're on that list, and they've been given all the opportunities to be successful, then there are no breaks in the system," Lanier said. "They are given the strictest penalties."
Bowser said she is not blaming prosecutors or courts for crimes by repeat offenders.
"It does no one any good to point fingers," she said.
Police seized 83 illegal guns Aug. 28 through Sept. 8, police said. More than 1,100 illegals guns have been taken off D.C. streets this year so far.
In 2015 thus far, 109 homicides have occurred -- in a spike of more than 47 percent compared with the same time last year. In all of 2014, 105 people were homicide victims.
