Crime in the nation’s capital has shown little sign of abating, but the D.C. Council is expected nonetheless to approve Acting Chief Pamela Smith’s nomination as the District’s new permanent top cop Tuesday.

All violent crimes — from homicides and robberies to carjackings and sexual assaults — have maintained their year-over-year increases since Chief Smith took over the post on July 17.

The spike in shootings, stick-ups and violent car thefts are driving much of the angst over lawlessness in the District.

The chief, the first Black woman to lead the Metropolitan Police Department, is credited with putting more officers on the streets and in front of community members.

The chief anticipates her push to have more cops forge bonds with residents will pay off in building trust between Washingtonians and the police — and help officers develop the crucial leads they need to close cases.

She is looking for legislators on the D.C. council to see the value in her plan, too. Local lawmakers have repeatedly called for a more visible police presence on sidewalks and in shops.

“The biggest accomplishment is our ability to stay engaged with our communities,” Chief Smith said about her short time running the department. “I think the community sees us [being] a little bit more present now.”

There’s academic and anecdotal evidence to support the chief’s directive.

Criminologists such as David Weisburd have said that “procedural justice” is an approach where being friendlier with citizens can lead to lower crime rates.

MPD’s public safety walks provide residents with the chance to see officers outside of their usual crime-fighting duties.

Each of the city’s seven police districts are required to hold one walk a week. Sometimes, the walks involve city officials handing out anti-overdose medication Narcan to business owners, while others involve discussions about recent crime trends and concerns in their neighborhood.

One officer mentioned during a safety walk in the 3rd District that most people just want to be heard. The officer said that goes for the working professionals they come across and the people they arrest.

But Chief Smith was ultimately brought on to reverse the rising trend of gunfights, muggings and carjackings plaguing the city. There’s little evidence to indicate that she’s made a difference in those areas.

Violent crime is up 41% so far this year, with major year-over-year increases in homicides (up 32%), robberies (up 70%) and carjackings (up 105%).

The 231 homicides recorded in 2023 put the District on track to reach the highest number of killings since 2003, when the city saw 248 slayings.

Police statistics provided to The Times show that killings jumped roughly 10% (to 82 homicides) during Chief Smith’s first 90 days on the job when compared to the previous 90 days (72 homicides).

And Chief Smith’s initiatives to cut down on robberies and carjackings in targeted areas are producing mixed results.

Police stats show a 10% decrease in robberies in the acting chief’s first 90 days on the job (970) compared to the previous 90 days (1,076). Still, robberies had only shown a year-over-year increase of roughly 60% when the chief took over in mid-July. Now violent thefts are up 70% citywide.

Robbery arrests are also trending down. A total of 194 adults were arrested for robberies last year — a 31% decline from the 254 adults taken into custody for stick-ups in 2021, according to the D.C. Sentencing Commission.

There have been 145 adults arrested for muggings this year through the end of October. An additional 85 juveniles have also been arrested for the crime during that same period.

It’s worth noting one arrest can close multiple open investigations.

Police said a 16-year-old boy arrested in the 6th District last month was responsible for 19 robbery and carjacking offenses throughout June and July.

Authorities also took Malique Tyrone Outland, 18, of Northwest, into custody last month in connection to nearly two dozen offenses, many of them robberies and carjackings.

Chief Smith said her robbery suppression initiative is examined at least twice a week, with police leadership constantly adjusting where to focus enforcement.

MPD officers working the streets share mixed opinions about their new boss.

One officer, who spoke to The Times on the condition of anonymity, praised the chief’s attitude about policing. The officer said that Chief Smith understands cops need to be empowered to do their jobs without tip-toeing around political eggshells.

The officer also celebrated who Chief Smith decided to promote once she took over the acting role.

That includes elevating rising stars such as Tasha Bryant and Carlos Heraud into assistant chief positions.

Chief Bryant, the former commander of the 1st District, now oversees patrols in Capitol Hill, Navy Yard and the neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River.

Chief Heraud heads MPD’s Investigative Services Bureau, with another up-and-comer in Nikki Lavenhouse succeeding him as commander for the 4th District.

Another officer, who again spoke on the condition of anonymity, praised Chief Smith for being better than expected when handling disciplinary issues with officers.

This officer also believes the new chief is “in over her head” on the new job, in part because the police leadership is out of ideas of how to improve lagging recruitment numbers.

“The higher-ups refuse to acknowledge how short we really are,” the officer told The Times.

MPD had 3,316 active duty officers at the end of September, the lowest number of cops in over 50 years.

Gregg Pemberton, the chairman of the D.C. Police Union, has testified before Congress about how detrimental the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Act has been toward recruitment and retention efforts.

The law, passed late last year, makes it easier to fire officers over misconduct complaints and bans MPD from hiring officers with past misconduct issues.

Mayor Bowser said the goal of her recently proposed Addressing Crime Trends Now legislation was to create a policy environment that’s more attractive to potential police recruits.

The D.C. Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday on Chief Smith’s confirmation.

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.