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U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro touted promising crime trends during a community meeting Thursday, as residents pushed back and expressed frustration with masked federal agents and an increased ICE presence in their neighborhoods.
Pirro鈥檚 comments came during a post-surge accountability forum, hosted by the 3rd District Citizens Advisory Council. Its coverage area includes Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, Mount Pleasant, Shaw, Logan Circle and Bloomingdale, among others.
During the nearly hourlong conversation, Pirro said President Donald Trump鈥檚 law enforcement surge across the city has resulted in a significant drop in violent crime. As a result of the extra help, Pirro said homicides are down 53%, robberies are down 59% and violent crime overall is down 39% to 40%.
City leaders, though, maintain crime was declining before the federal surge.
Nonetheless, some residents pushed back on Pirro鈥檚 remarks, wearing shirts that said 鈥淔ree DC,鈥� vocally rejecting her assertion that the surge is creating positive change, and in one case, resulting in a resident getting escorted out of the room.
Pirro鈥檚 comments came as the crime emergency in D.C. has expired, but the extra federal resources have remained. Despite the positive trends, prosecutors have dropped almost a dozen cases from the surge, the Associated Press reported.
鈥淣o one can deny that crime has gone down,鈥� Pirro said. 鈥淭hat there is a deterrent effect. That people are not as willing to shoot, carjack, stab. And by the way, do you know what鈥檚 up? Stabbings, because we鈥檙e taking the guns away.鈥�
Pirro said she wanted to attend the meetings after watching the community become 鈥渁nimated鈥� on TV in response to the surge. Karen Gaal, the citizen council鈥檚 chairwoman and public safety director, described the meeting that prompted Pirro鈥檚 appearance as 鈥減assionate.鈥�
Meanwhile, Pirro said she鈥檚 working with Congress and Mayor Muriel Bowser on changes that would expand her office鈥檚 ability to prosecute juveniles as adults. Currently, Pirro said the office can only prosecute rape one, armed robbery, burglary one and murder crimes when they鈥檙e committed by a 16 or 17 year old.
She criticized the city鈥檚 handling of teenagers accused of crimes, saying, 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 repeatedly allow young people committing violent crimes to go to ice cream socials and yoga, because that鈥檚 what they do.鈥�
Her office, Pirro said, is down over 70 prosecutors and 150 paralegals, legal assistants and investigators. Regarding judicial vacancies, Pirro said she 鈥渟poke to someone very important about that.鈥�
鈥淲ith respect to the police, there is a great deal of negotiating going on right now, and you will be surprised at how Democrats and Republicans are working together, because there is no Republican or Democratic way to protect the people of the District.鈥�
Athena Viscusi asked Pirro about federal agents wearing masks, and after her appearance said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 like we鈥檙e walking in two different cities. She鈥檚 seeing some city of lawless people that need to be yanked off the streets, and I see a city of people who are trying to go about their lives, take their kids to school, do their jobs and are being yanked off the streets.鈥�
Pirro, meanwhile, vowed to crack down on illegal guns and said agents may be wearing masks because 鈥渢hey believe it鈥檚 what they need to do to not be targeted鈥� but 鈥淚鈥檓 not here to argue that issue.鈥�
鈥淢y job is to protect,鈥� Pirro said. 鈥淢y job is to prosecute. My job is to support those guys, and if you would prefer that they not be here, then you鈥檙e going to be dealing with the juveniles who are out of control.鈥�
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