Monthly Crime and Policing Brief
Downtown Crime and Policing Report, August 2026
144 reported incidents · Washington, DC · Source: DC MPD
Reported incidents measure what residents report to MPD, not how safe a place is. This brief pairs them with how enforcement lands in the police districts covering Downtown.
Key Takeaways
- 144 incidents were reported in Downtown in August 2026.
- Theft (Other) was the most common offense (101 incidents, 70% of the month's total).
- Total incidents were up 6% versus July 2026 and down 11% versus August 2025.
- The biggest month-over-month change was Motor Vehicle Theft, which rose from 6 to 17.
- This August was 17% below the 5-year historical average for the month (~173 incidents).
Monthly Crime Volume, Downtown
August Incidents by Year, Downtown
Offense Breakdown, Downtown
How Policing Lands Here
- MPD District 2 covers about 52% of Downtown's reported incidents. 29,525 stops of persons were recorded there since 2023; Black people were stopped at 6.7x their share of the district's population; the district drew 0.7x the stops that its share of reported crime accounts for. Full District 2 analysis →
- MPD District 1 covers about 40% of Downtown's reported incidents. 31,770 stops of persons were recorded there since 2023; Black people were stopped at 3.1x their share of the district's population; the district drew 1.0x the stops that its share of reported crime accounts for. Full District 1 analysis →
These figures come from the same MPD stop records and reported-crime data analyzed across this site. Reported crime is not occurred crime, and stop counts measure enforcement, not danger. Methodology: stops by district and enforcement vs reported crime.
Free Monthly Downtown Crime Brief
Get a one-page Downtown crime brief by email each month: last month's incidents, month-over-month and year-over-year comparisons, and the seasonal trend.
Prefer a one-time download? Download this month's brief (PDF) →
← All neighborhood briefs | Incident map
Incident counts reflect reported MPD crimes for the calendar month and are subject to revision. This report shows historical incident counts and trends only.