Secure DC Passes First of Two Votes before Council

After hours of discussion today, the DC Council voted in the first of two readings to approve the Secure DC Omnibus, which covers a range of public safety initiatives. I thank Councilmember Brooke Pinto for her leadership and hard work in introducing this bill. It can be a challenge for everyone to work together, but that is the only way we’re going to solve this District-wide crisis, and today’s work and the effort that led up to it reflects that spirit. I’m confident the Council will continue to refine the bill between now and the second reading toward our shared goal of improving safety and accountability.

This legislation is focused heavily on accountability and enforcement. While these are important, we cannot forget another, critical piece: hope and opportunity. We need a holistic approach with investments to ensure all of our residents have a realistic sense of hope in their future. That is a key way to prevent crime. It is that philosophy that inspired my introduction of the Universal Out of School Time Amendment Act, which supports students’ education, safety, and economic opportunity.

We must strengthen accountability and enforcement, and we must be equally committed to creating hope and opportunity. That is the true path to public safety.