Three emergency crime and public safety bills are now law in Washington, D.C.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser signed the bills on Thursday afternoon.
Earlier in July, the D.C. Council approved the bills, including a 12-1 vote in favor of Bowser’s proposal to make it easier for judges to hold adults and juveniles charged with violent crimes until their trial.
Another law gives D.C. police the ability to engage in pursuits with cars in limited circumstances. A third law requires the 911 call center to publicly report on missed calls, dropped calls and other mistakes at the call center.
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Because the bills are emergency legislation, they won't need to go to Capitol Hill for congressional approval, but they will be in effect only for 90 days.
Council member Brooke Pinto, who sponsored the changes, told the Council that 30 homicide suspects in D.C. last year were out of jail awaiting trial, which is one reason she says judges need more tools to keep people charged with violent crimes in jail.
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Last fiscal year in D.C. courts, almost 2,000 adults were charged with a felony. Of them, 701 were released prior to trial, and 374 more were released at some point later. The agency in charge couldn't say how many of those released were accused of violent crimes, but it did say that almost none of them were charged with new crimes before their trials.
The Council will take up broader, permanent legislation when it returns from recess in the fall.
