Policing Our Nation’s Capital Using 21st Century Principles

The purpose of this article is to discuss the policing philosophy that has proven effective for reducing violent crime in the District of Columbia (D.C.). With many different policing philosophies and a countless number of official studies, it is sometimes difficult to determine what works best. For example, in the past 25 years alone one can easily find well more than 100 evidence-based policing strategies. The matter is further complicated by the constraints of annual budgets. Some promising initiatives are costly; this is problematic, especially given the current economic climate. Budgets seem to be stagnant, if not shrinking, and there is no immediate sign of improvement. Captured in just four basic principles, this D.C. policing philosophy has resulted in historic low levels of violent crime and homicide in a city with an extremely violent past. These principles have been implemented with minimal cost, yet they are designed so that expansion is possible.