D.C. Mayor Plans Rollout of New Tough-on-Crime Laws to Confront Crime Wave

In response to an ongoing crime wave, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser plans to propose tougher anti-crime measures that would mark a U-turn for the Democratic city on policing reform, Cuneyt Dil reports for Axios. A forthcoming bill would empower police to declare “drug-free zones” across the city for five-day spans, create a new crime designation and stiffer penalties for retail theft, outlaw masks again, and revise the definition of a choke hold by clarifying the “distinction between a serious use of force and incidental contact with the neck,” according to previewed legislation. Officers would also be allowed in some cases to view body camera footage before writing their initial police reports. Bowser plans to officially announce the proposal Monday morning and the D.C. Council would decide on it over the next few months.