Monthly Crime and Policing Brief
Ward 5 Crime and Policing Report, March 2026
248 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 district covering Ward 5.
Key Takeaways
- 248 incidents were reported in Ward 5 in March 2026.
- Theft (Other) was the most common offense (136 incidents, 55% of the month's total).
- Total incidents were up 27% versus February 2026 and down 31% versus March 2025.
- The biggest month-over-month change was Theft (Other), which rose from 93 to 136.
- This March was 33% below the 5-year historical average for the month (~368 incidents).
Monthly Crime Volume, Ward 5
March Incidents by Year, Ward 5
Offense Breakdown, Ward 5
How Policing Lands Here
- MPD District 5 covers about 79% of Ward 5's reported incidents. 40,694 stops of persons were recorded there since 2023; Black people were stopped at 1.5x their share of the district's population; the district drew 1.1x the stops that its share of reported crime accounts for. Full District 5 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.
← February 2026 · April 2026 →
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Incident counts reflect reported MPD crimes for the calendar month and are subject to revision. This report shows historical incident counts and trends only.