OFFICE OF CHAIRMAN PHIL MENDELSON
COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
December 20, 2023
Nyasha Smith, Secretary
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Secretary Smith,
Violent crime is occurring at levels not seen in the District since the early 2000s. This year alone, over
260 people have been murdered, and thousands more have been violently assaulted, robbed, or
carjacked. We can and must do better to fight the scourge of violent crime and protect our residents.
That is why today, I, along with seven of my colleagues, am introducing the “Evidence-Based Gun
Violence Reduction and Prevention Act of 2023.”
The bill would implement two recommendations from the National Institute for Criminal Justice
Reform’s District of Columbia Gun Violence Reduction Strategic Plan.1 First, it would establish a
Group Violence Intervention Initiative in the District. Group Violence Intervention—also known as
focused deterrence or pulling levers—was first implemented in Boston in the 1990s under the name
Operation Ceasefire. An evaluation of Operation Ceasefire published in 2001 found that it reduced
monthly youth homicides by 63%.2 Since then, over seven dozen jurisdictions have implemented
Group Violence Intervention Initiatives, most of which experienced significant reductions in violent
crime as a result. A meta-analysis published in 2018 found that “In 19 of 24 eligible studies, researchers
reported that the implementation of the evaluated program was associated with a statistically
significant crime reduction effect on a targeted crime problem.”3
Second, the bill would authorize the Mayor to address “criminal blight” at specific properties in the
District by requiring the removal, repair, or securing of any building, wall, structure, or lot, or requiring
changes to specific policies, practices, or procedures of the property owner that the police have reason
to believe are facilitating criminal activity. Numerous studies have shown that remediating blight
reduces gun violence. For instance, one study on blight remediation efforts in Philadelphia found that
remediating abandoned buildings reduced firearm assaults by 39% in and around the buildings.4
1
District of Columbia Gun Violence Reduction Strategic Plan, Recommendations #4 and #15,
(https://web.archive.org/web/20220513005605/https:/cjcc.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/cjcc/DC%20Violence%2
0Reduction%20Stratgeic%20Plan%20-%20April%202022%20-%20Final.pdf).
2
Braga, A. A., Kennedy, D. M., Waring, E. J., & Piehl, A. M. (2001). Problem oriented policing, deterrence, and youth
violence: An evaluation of Boston’s Operation Ceasefire. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 38, 195–
226.
3
Braga, A. A., Weisburd, D., & Turchan, B. (2018). Focused deterrence strategies and crime control: An updated
systematic review and meta‐analysis of the empirical evidence. Criminology & Public Policy, 17(1), pg. 238.
4
Branas, C. C., Kondo, M. C., Murphy, S. M., South, E. C., Polsky, D., & MacDonald, J. M. (2016). Urban blight
remediation as a cost-beneficial solution to firearm violence. American journal of public health, 106(12), 2158-2164.
Another study conducted in a major city found that remediation of vacant and blighted lots decreased
gun violence by 29.1% in the neighborhoods in which these lots were located.5
The bill also includes proposals that would help sworn officers focus more of their attention and
resources on violent crime, increase transparency, and increase support for victims of violent crime:
• Authorizing the Metropolitan Police Department to hire civilian investigators to investigate
cold cases and property crimes when there is no expected suspect contact. This is based on a
successful initiative started in Mesa, Arizona in 2009 that has since been adopted in cities such
as Pheonix, Baltimore, San Francisco, and New Orleans;6
• Requiring the Sentencing Commission to produce a Biannual Repeat Violent Offender Report
that provides statistics on the number of repeat violent offenders arrested and convicted in the
prior year, as well as updates on the disposition of cases involving repeat violent offenders; and
• Requiring the Director of the Department of Healthcare Finance to submit an amendment to
the District’s State Medicaid Plan to make community violence prevention services available
to Medicaid beneficiaries. The Biden Administration provided guidance on this in 2020.
Jurisdictions such as Connecticut, California, Illinois, Oregon, and Maryland have utilized this
benefit.7
Taken together, the proposals in this bill would implement strategies that we know reduce violent crime
and better focus our law enforcement efforts on holding violent offenders accountable.
If you have any questions about this legislation, please contact Blaine Stum, Senior Policy Advisor for
the Committee of the Whole, at bstum@dccouncil.gov.
Chairman Phil Mendelson
5
Branas, C. C., South, E., Kondo, M. C., Hohl, B. C., Bourgois, P., Wiebe, D. J., & MacDonald, J. M. (2018). Citywide
cluster randomized trial to restore blighted vacant land and its effects on violence, crime, and fear. Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences, 115(12), 2946-2951.
6
See, for instance, Salma Reyes and Nathan Collins, “To share up dwindling ranks, police departments hire more
civilian investigators,” In Pursuit, Sept. 20, 2022 (https://inpursuit.news21.com/2022/09/20/police-hire-more-
civilians-investigators-shore-up-ranks/).
7
The Health Alliance for Violence Intervention, HAVI Advocacy Update: Advances in Medicaid
(https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d6f61730a2b610001135b79/t/6390d680480e0436181aa23c/1670436530340
/Medicaid-Advocacy-Update-Advances-in-Medicaid.pdf).
 1 _________________________
2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto Chairman Phil Mendelson
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6 Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau Councilmember Charles Allen
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10 Councilmember Kenyan R. McDuffie Councilmember Christina Henderson
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14 Councilmember Zachary Parker Councilmember Janeese Lewis George
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16 A BILL
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20 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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25 To establish a Group Violence Intervention Initiative and an organizational structure to guide the
26 efforts of the Initiative; to allow the Metropolitan Police Department to hire civilian
27 personnel to respond to and investigate certain property crimes and cold cases; to require
28 the Sentencing Commission to publish a biannual report on repeat violent offenders in the
29 District; to authorize the Mayor to take corrective actions to remediate criminal blight at
30 properties in the District; and to require the Director of the Department of Healthcare
31 Finance to submit an amendment to the Medicaid state plan to make community violence
32 prevention services available to Medicaid beneficiaries.
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34 BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
35 act may be cited as the “Evidence-Based Gun Violence Reduction and Prevention Act of 2023”.
36 TABLE OF CONTENTS
37 TITLE I. GROUP VIOLENCE INTERVENTION INITIATIVE........................................... 2
38 TITLE II. CIVILIAN INVESTIGATORS AT THE METROPOLITAN POLICE
39 DEPARTMENT............................................................................................................................. 4
40 TITLE III. BIANNUAL REPEAT VIOLENT OFFENDER REPORT................................... 6
41 TITLE IV. ADDRESSING CRIMINAL BLIGHT IN THE DISTRICT.................................. 8
42 TITLE V. MEDICAID FUNDING FOR COMMUNITY VIOLENCE PREVENTION
43 SERVICES................................................................................................................................... 11
44 TITLE VI. FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT; EFFECTIVE DATE..................................... 14
45 TITLE I. GROUP VIOLENCE INTERVENTION INITIATIVE.
46 Sec. 101. Establishment of group violence intervention initiative.
47 There is established the District of Columbia Group Violence Intervention Initiative
48 (“Initiative”). The purpose of the Initiative is to address gun violence in the District by focusing
49 law enforcement activities on individuals and groups committing acts of gun violence,
50 coordinating enforcement activities across law enforcement agencies, providing robust social
51 services and supports to individuals willing to cease criminal activity, and proactively engaging
52 residents in communities impacted by gun violence.
53 Sec. 102. Group violence intervention governing board; strategy and implementation
54 team.
55 (a) To implement the Initiative, there is established a:
56 (1) Group Violence Intervention Initiative Governing Board (“Governing Board”).
57 The Governing Board shall have final decision-making authority and provide resources to the
58 strategy and implementation team as deemed necessary. The Governing Board shall include:
59 (A) The Mayor;
60 (B) The City Administrator; and
61 (C) The Chair of the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety.
62 (2) Strategy and Implementation Team, which shall report to the Governing Board
63 on a regular basis to provide progress updates and request resources as needed. The Strategy and
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64 Implementation Team shall handle the daily operations of the Initiative, including making key
65 decisions, developing strategies, securing resources, and continuously monitoring results.
66 (A) The Strategy and Implementation Team shall be composed of 12
67 members. Members of the Strategy and Implementation Team shall include:
68 (i) The Director of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, who
69 shall serve as the Executive Director;
70 (ii) The Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, who shall
71 serve as co-chair;
72 (iii) The Executive Director of the Office of Neighborhood Safety
73 and Engagement;
74 (iv) The United States Attorney for the District of Columbia;
75 (v) The Attorney General for the District of Columbia;
76 (vi) The Director of the Court Services and Offender Supervision
77 Agency;
78 (vii) The Director of the Pretrial Services Agency;
79 (viii) Two lieutenants from the Metropolitan Police Department,
80 selected by the Chief;
81 (ix) Two representatives from community-based organizations with
82 a demonstrated history of providing social services and supports to individuals who are at high
83 risk of engaging in gun violence;
84 (x) A researcher with expertise in law enforcement policies and
85 practices whose work has been published in peer-reviewed journals.
86 Sec. 103. Implementation plan.
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87 (a) The Strategy and Implementation Team shall develop an implementation plan for the
88 initiative. The implementation plan shall, at a minimum, include:
89 (1) How the Initiative will identify individuals and groups responsible for or at
90 high risk of engaging in gun violence;
91 (2) Key stakeholders, including community members and service providers, who
92 will be engaged as part of the initiative, including proposed engagement strategies;
93 (3) Protocols for conducting call-ins of individuals who may be subject to focused
94 enforcement efforts;
95 (4) How the needs of individuals identified by the Strategy and Implementation
96 Team pursuant to paragraph (1) will be assessed and what services will be offered to these
97 individuals;
98 (5) Proposed performance measures and data that will be utilized to track the
99 outcomes of the initiative; and
100 (6) Resources necessary to effectively implement the Initiative.
101 (b) The implementation plan shall be submitted to the Governing Board for approval
102 within six months of the effective date of this title.
103 Sec. 104. Reporting.
104 (a) On a quarterly basis, the Mayor shall provide a report to the Council that contains data
105 and analysis of performance measures developed by the Strategy and Implementation Team,
106 along with any other information deemed relevant.
107 TITLE II. CIVILIAN INVESTIGATORS AT THE METROPOLITAN POLICE
108 DEPARTMENT.
109 Sec. 201. Civilian investigators.
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110 (a) The Metropolitan Police Department is hereby authorized to employ and allow
111 civilian personnel to investigate the following types of incidents when there is no expected
112 suspect contact:
113 (1) Commercial burglary;
114 (2) Residential burglary;
115 (3) Motor vehicle theft;
116 (4) Theft;
117 (5) Forgery;
118 (6) Fraud; and
119 (7) Other property crime investigations.
120 (b) In addition to the incidents listed in subsection (a) of this section, civilian personnel
121 may be employed to investigate cold cases.
122 (c) All of the following shall apply to investigators authorized pursuant to subsection (a)
123 of this section:
124 (1) The Metropolitan Police Department shall establish minimum standards for
125 employment as an investigator;
126 (2) Each investigator shall attend a training program designed by the Metropolitan
127 Police Department;
128 (3) Each investigator shall be issued credentials by the Metropolitan Police
129 Department identifying the individual as a civilian investigator;
130 (4) Investigators shall be issued a uniform that is substantially different in color
131 and style from that of a sworn officer of the Metropolitan Police Department. The uniform shall
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132 have patches that clearly identify the individual as a civilian investigator, and the individual’s
133 name shall be clearly displayed on the uniform. Investigators shall not be issued badges;
134 (5) Any vehicles issued to or used by an investigator shall not bear markings or
135 symbols that identify the vehicle as a police cruiser or patrol vehicle. The vehicle may have
136 emergency equipment and lights installed but shall not use blue lights in any manner or form;
137 (6) Investigators shall not be issued a firearm; and
138 (7) Investigators shall have no authority to arrest.
139 (c) The employment or use of investigators as authorized pursuant to subsection (a) of
140 this section shall not supplant or replace existing sworn law enforcement personnel or otherwise
141 cause a reduction in the number of sworn law enforcement officers employed by the
142 Metropolitan Police Department.
143 TITLE III. BIANNUAL REPEAT VIOLENT OFFENDER REPORT.
144 Sec. 301. Biannual repeat offender report from the Sentencing Commission.
145 (a) On January 1, 2025 and every six months thereafter, the Sentencing Commission of
146 the District of Columbia shall publish a repeat violent offender report that contains the following:
147 (1) A de-identified list of repeat violent offenders arrested in the prior year. The
148 list shall include:
149 (A) The date of the arrest;
150 (B) The top charge against the offender;
151 (C) Whether the arrest was papered;
152 (D) For arrests that were papered, the current disposition of the case;
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153 (E) The number of prior arrests and convictions for crimes of violence
154 within the last five years, and the specific charges the individual was arrested and/or convicted of
155 for each arrest and conviction;
156 (2) An analysis that shows:
157 (A) The number and percentage of arrests and cases filed with the
158 Superior Court in the prior year involving repeat violent offenders; and
159 (B) The disposition of cases filed with the Superior Court in the year
160 before the prior year; and
161 (3) Any other information the Commission deems relevant or necessary.
162 (b) The report required pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall be publicly
163 accessible through the Commission’s website.
164 (c) For purposes of this section, the term:
165 (1) “Crime of violence” means the following crimes when committed with a
166 firearm:
167 (A) Aggravated assault;
168 (B) Assault with a dangerous weapon;
169 (C) Carjacking,
170 (D) Assault with intent to kill;
171 (E) Kidnapping;
172 (F) Manslaughter;
173 (G) Murder; or
174 (H) Robbery.
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175 (2) “Repeat violent offender” means a person who has been arrested for a crime of
176 violence, as defined in paragraph (1) of this subsection, two or more times in the previous five
177 years.
178 TITLE IV. ADDRESSING CRIMINAL BLIGHT IN THE DISTRICT.
179 Sec. 401. Definitions.
180 For purposes of this title, the term:
181 (a) “Controlled substance” shall have the same meaning as § 48–901.02(4).
182 (b) “Corrective action” means:
183 (1) Taking specific actions with respect to the buildings or structures on the
184 property that are reasonably expected to abate criminal blight on such real property, including the
185 removal, repair, or the securing of any building, wall, structure, or lot; or
186 (2) Changing specific policies, practices, or procedures of the real property owner
187 that are reasonably expected to abate criminal blight on real property.
188 (c) “Criminal blight” means a condition existing on real property that endangers the
189 public health or safety of residents of the city and is caused by:
190 (1) The regular presence of, or use of property by, persons illegally possessing,
191 manufacturing, or distributing controlled substances; or
192 (2) Repeated discharging of a fir