Metro reports that certain types of crime, particularly thefts of electronic devices and bicycles, dropped considerably over the first three months of 2014 when compared with the same period last year. Robberies of mobile phones and other devices are down 42 percent, and bike thefts dropped by 56 percent, according to a quarterly crime report presented to Metro’s board of directors Thursday morning.
Transit police reported 79 robberies of phones, tablets, and computers between January and March, down from 137 a year earlier, a drop that Metro officials credit to “increased customer awareness” and more police activity. Violent and armed robberies are also down from 121 in the first three months of 2013 to 55 this year.
Metro is applauding its own increased policing efforts as one of the principal reasons crime is down, but there’s another possible explanation. The first three months of 2014 brought the heaviest winter weather Washington has experienced since 2010, with multiple snow days for government workers dragging down ridership numbers.
But one area where Metro has made no statistical progress is reports of sexual harassment. The ten instances of sexual harassment reported by people using the transit agency’s online reporting tool in the first quarter of 2014 matches the first quarter of 2013.
Don’t Miss Another Big Story—Get Our Weekend Newsletter
Our most popular stories of the week, sent every Saturday.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Metro Reports Big Drop in Crime in Early Months of 2014
Thefts of electronic devices and bikes are way down, but no change in the number of sexual harassment reports.
Metro reports that certain types of crime, particularly thefts of electronic devices and bicycles, dropped considerably over the first three months of 2014 when compared with the same period last year. Robberies of mobile phones and other devices are down 42 percent, and bike thefts dropped by 56 percent, according to a quarterly crime report presented to Metro’s board of directors Thursday morning.
Transit police reported 79 robberies of phones, tablets, and computers between January and March, down from 137 a year earlier, a drop that Metro officials credit to “increased customer awareness” and more police activity. Violent and armed robberies are also down from 121 in the first three months of 2013 to 55 this year.
Metro is applauding its own increased policing efforts as one of the principal reasons crime is down, but there’s another possible explanation. The first three months of 2014 brought the heaviest winter weather Washington has experienced since 2010, with multiple snow days for government workers dragging down ridership numbers.
But one area where Metro has made no statistical progress is reports of sexual harassment. The ten instances of sexual harassment reported by people using the transit agency’s online reporting tool in the first quarter of 2014 matches the first quarter of 2013.
Don’t Miss Another Big Story—Get Our Weekend Newsletter
Our most popular stories of the week, sent every Saturday.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
Here’s Why You Might’ve Heard Extremely Loud Fighter Jets Over DC Friday Morning
Elon Musk’s Plan to Get Commuters From DC to Baltimore in 15 Minutes Appears to Be Dead
You Can Now Rent Picnic Boats at the Wharf
Some DC Colleges Will Require Students to Be Vaccinated by the Fall
Photos: Inside the New Concourse at National Airport
Washingtonian Magazine
March 2021: The Influencers
View IssueSubscribe
Get Us on Social
Get Us on Social
Related
Texas Man Planned to Blow Up a Data Center in Virginia, FBI Says
Emma Coronel Aispuro—El Chapo’s Wife—Has Been Booked Into the Alexandria Jail
More Bad News for Jack Evans: His Subaru’s Been Stolen
Bethesda Bike Assaulter Gets Probation
More from News & Politics
Arlington’s Famed Inner Ear Studios Could Close by the End of the Year
Your Dog Might Eat a Lot of the Cicadas. What Happens Next?
Elon Musk’s Plan to Get Commuters From DC to Baltimore in 15 Minutes Appears to Be Dead
Here’s Why You Might’ve Heard Extremely Loud Fighter Jets Over DC Friday Morning
Photos: Inside the New Concourse at National Airport
Some DC Colleges Will Require Students to Be Vaccinated by the Fall
GOP Politicians Have Repeatedly Been Bamboozled by Satire. Are We One Onion Article Away From Total Chaos?
DC Is Launching Walk-Up Vaccination Sites for Seniors