DC combating car thefts and carjackings with dashcams and AirTags
By ASHRAF KHALIL
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Government and police in the nation’s capital are handing out tracking devices and dashboard cameras to local drivers to help stem rising crime rates. The parallel initiatives are just part of a multipronged anti-crime offensive launched by the Metropolitan Police Department and Mayor Muriel Bowser’s government. Violent crimes — particularly homicide and car theft — have risen sharply, and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Lyndsey Appiah flatly stated before the House Judiciary Committee last month that the nation’s capital is in the midst of a crime crisis. As of Nov. 14, homicides are up 34% compared to this time last year; car theft is up 98% and carjackings have more than doubled — up 104 percent.