Maria LawsonJennifer Maloney, who鈥檚 lived in a row home facing Logan Circle since August of 2020, doesn鈥檛 doubt her safety as she walks home from work in the dark almost daily.
鈥淎s long as I鈥檓 comfortable walking around by myself at all hours, I鈥檓 OK,鈥� Maloney said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 really worry about it too much.鈥�
Not only does she feel safer, but the Logan Circle area has seen a 30% drop in violent crime and nearly in overall crime from 2023 to 2024.
Logan Circle Community Association president Karen Franklin attributes this decrease to Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto鈥檚 crime-prevention bill from early March.
鈥淥f course, we are pleased with the numbers and are hoping they continue to go down,鈥� Franklin said.
The legislation, , prioritizes prevention and ending cycles of violence, accountability for crime and government coordination and oversight. Highlights include establishing new felony offenses for gun penalties and strangulation, drug-free zones, gun tracking and more access to police body-worn-camera footage.
From 2023 to 2024, there was a 30% decrease in violent crimes and about 17% decrease in property crimes in the 2F Advisory Neighborhood Commission jurisdiction. (Data reflects Jan. 1 through Dec. 7 each year for consistency.)
There were 60 violent crimes in the area in 2023 and 42 in 2024. For property crimes, there were 729 in 2023 and 604 in 2024.
Despite the decrease, the neighborhood has still found itself in headlines for recent crimes 鈥� notably, a $30,000 merchandise heist in September and a near Shake Shack on 14th Street.
Maloney said she feels like there鈥檚 less concern among neighbors over day-to-day incidents. However, she still acknowledges there are shootings and drunk-driving-related car accidents in the area.
鈥淲e鈥檝e seen more of that, but I鈥檓 less concerned just walking around,鈥� Maloney said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 really know why. It鈥檚 just a feeling.鈥�
Audrey Gaitley, who works at Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, described the shop鈥檚 14th Street location as in a 鈥渞owdy鈥� area.
鈥淚 know there is a decrease [in crime], but I haven鈥檛 felt any safer really,鈥� Gaitley said.
Nico Lewin, who lives in the area and practices tightrope at the Logan Circle park, said he hasn鈥檛 felt a decrease either. He said he sees property crimes as more of a threat than violent ones and doesn鈥檛 feel unsafe in his neighborhood.聽
鈥淵ou see a lot of break ins, especially into cars in the area,鈥� Lewin. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it affects me that much; I don鈥檛 have a car, but I guess it鈥檚 more of what you see. I don鈥檛 hear about much violent crime in the area.鈥�
From 2023 to 2024, car break-ins decreased from 184 to 132, and motor vehicle theft decreased from 70 to 48. In the Secure D.C. bill, vehicle-related crimes are addressed through the expansion of the definition of carjacking to improve prosecution.
Maloney describes safety in D.C. as 鈥渙n par鈥� with other big cities. Her home city of St. Louis, Missouri, though, was of greater concern.
鈥淧eople are afraid to go to the ballgame and afraid to go downtown [in St. Louis,鈥� Maloney said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 feel that here. They鈥檙e more concerned with people breaking into their cars, more concerned with all of that kind of stuff.鈥�
Wash staff
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