DC partners with Maryland and Virginia law enforcement on 24/7 crime monitoring center

The Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C., is launching a real-time crime center that will monitor surveillance cameras 24/7 with the help of state and federal partners.

D.C. police entered an agreement with the U.S. Park Police, U.S. Capitol Police, and Secret Service, as well as police from Maryland and Virginia, to operate the crime center. The center will be at MPD headquarters, with police monitoring the cameras 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, according to NBC 4 Washington.

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Mayor Muriel Bowser and the MPD plan to announce the real-time crime center at a press conference on Thursday morning, according to a press release from Bowser’s office.

The plans for the crime center come as the district is experiencing a spike in crime that has led to over 900 carjackings and over 200 homicides this year.

Total crime is up 27%, broken down into violent crime and property crime, both of which are also up for 2023 at 40% and 25%, respectively. The crime that has increased the most from this time in 2022 is motor vehicle theft at 91%, followed by robbery at 70% and homicide at 32%.

As of Dec. 6, there have been 925 carjackings, 77% of which involved guns, and only 246 of the carjacking cases have been closed. D.C. police have made 163 arrests involving carjackings, with 64% of arrests involving juveniles. Of those arrested, 78% reported having a D.C. home address.

Several high-profile carjackings have taken place in recent months, including incidents involving Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) and an FBI agent.

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The announcement of the crime center also comes on the same day that Bowser and D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith met behind closed doors with House Oversight Committee members on Wednesday to discuss the crime wave in the district.

The Washington Examiner reached out to MPD for comment.