By Allison Klein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 26, 2008

D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier told the D.C. Council yesterday that crime trends are "moving in the right direction," noting that the number of homicides and assaults with guns is down significantly from last year's totals.

As of yesterday, the city had recorded 16 homicides, compared with 24 at the same point in 2007. There have been 80 reports of assaults with deadly weapons, down by 36 percent. Overall, violent crime is running 7 percent below last year's totals, Lanier said.

The chief's testimony came at a time when neighborhood activists are pushing police to do more in response to youth violence and in particular to recent spates of shootings in some pockets of the city. She faced questions at an oversight hearing called by the council's Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary.

At least five teenagers have been shot in recent weeks in feuding between two rival groups near the Washington Convention Center, in the area near O Street between Fifth and Seventh streets NW, officials said. No arrests have been made.

Last month, nine people were wounded in two drive-by shootings in Southeast Washington, including one near Ballou High School. A 17-year-old suspect, Deidrick Johnson, faces charges in those attacks.

Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large), chairman of the council committee, said he was concerned that detectives might be carrying too many cases. Mendelson said he wants to ensure they have enough time to work on shootings, robberies and other crimes.

Police officials said that caseloads are manageable. Most detectives who work such crimes have about 10 cases at a time, they said, although some who work east of the Anacostia River have slightly higher caseloads. Those detectives tend to have more domestic violence cases, which are often easier to close, they said.

"The challenge for us will be the summer months," Lanier told council members, noting that crime often spikes in warmer weather.

The chief said that the department's statistics are now in order, after struggles to reconcile records kept in two databases. She said she used cadets, officers on light duty and other police department employees to review reports by hand in a massive undertaking.

Overall, crime increased 5 percent in 2007, she said. Violent crime was up by 2 percent last year.