In partnership with Public Welfare Foundation’s Real Safety D.C. education campaign, The Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark-Barnes hosted a one-hour roundtable as part of the paper’s Let’s Talk video series.
Held at the Lankford Auditorium inside the historic True Reformer Building on U Street NW, the discussion brought together four D.C. leaders from faith, business, government, and community sectors to explore non-carceral solutions to prevent violence and strengthen safety in the District.
Kristy Love, Executive Director of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) — a council of local and federal criminal justice and public safety leaders — offered a perspective rooted in the data she and her team monitor across the District. As Executive Director, Love oversees CJCC’s work in four key areas: automated information sharing among 30 local and federal justice entities, research and analysis of public safety trends, inter-agency collaboration on priority areas such as violent crime, juvenile justice, substance abuse, mental health, and corrections, and training and technical assistance that brings subject-matter experts to the city.
For Love, the story of safety in the District in 2025 is one of quiet, measurable progress.
“We have our lowest levels of reported crime in 2025 than we’ve had in the past eight years,” she said. “Our data [go back to] 2018, but I talked to others who have data that go back a bit further. They’ll say we’re at our lowest level since 25 or 30 years, and that’s across the board.”
The declines, which began in 2024, span both property and violent crime. Compared to this time last year, Love cites an 11% decrease in all crime, a 28% decrease in violent crime, and a 21% decrease in homicides. Carjackings — which fall under robbery — are down by more than 50%, according to recent data the CJCC received from MPD.
Love emphasized that these outcomes reflect layered strategies — many of them community-rooted — that have taken hold across the District. These include cognitive behavioral therapy, street outreach, and family-based programming for youth. She also noted the importance of “hotspot policing” only when implemented with community input. But one strategy, she said, is demonstrating particularly strong results: group violence reduction.
The group violence reduction model begins by identifying individuals at the highest risk of involvement in gun violence — whether as victims or perpetrators. Once identified, a coordinated group of community messengers, including faith leaders, violence interrupters, and law enforcement, communicates directly with them to express concern, set expectations, and offer support. These individuals are then truly prioritized for services; agencies do not simply send referrals, but actively secure appointments, stabilize immediate needs, and connect people to resources such as employment, counseling, or housing. The approach relies on both support and accountability: while voluntary engagement is encouraged and assistance offered first, continued involvement in violence ultimately triggers law-enforcement intervention.
“I love the example about if the kid has COVID, you can’t just treat the kid. You have to treat the whole family,” Love explained. “You cannot just help the youth. The effective strategies for youth is you help whoever is in that household because the youth is being influenced by, likely, the household or their direct community.”
For Love, the most personal sign of progress is closer to home.
“In 2023, at night, I would hear gunshots at least three times a week, close to my neighborhood,” she said. “I don’t hear that anymore. I don’t have to explain or try to explain away to my daughter what that sound is. So that’s given me hope.”
