DC councilmembers want businesses to ditch cash so they don’t get robbed as often

A Washington, D.C., lawmaker unveiled legislation Monday aiming to shield small businesses from rampant theft.

D.C. Councilwoman Christina Henderson introduced the bill, which would exempt Class C and D alcohol license holders from having to accept cash at their stores in a bid to reduce robberies. Property crime has exploded in D.C. in recent years, with robberies up 67% from 2022 to 2023, burglaries up 4%, and other thefts up 23% over the same time frame, according to city data.

“Many businesses, particularly those that sell alcohol, are concerned for their employees’ safety and have shared multiple stories about successful and attempted robberies and burglaries,” Henderson said in a statement announcing the legislation. “Businesses that are cashless are not at risk of robbery in the same way as businesses with cash on hand.”

Class C licenses are held by “restaurants, hotels, taverns, nightclubs, and other entertainment venues” and class D licenses cover the same venues but restrict the sale of liquor, according to the bill. In 2020, D.C. passed a law that went into effect in 2023 prohibiting businesses from not accepting cash, with D.C. City Council Chairman Phil Mendelson saying the bill was about “equity” according to the Washingtonian.

Arrests in D.C. have plummeted, with robbery arrests down 40% from 2019 to 2023 and theft arrests down 49%, according to a Manhattan Institute study in August. Meanwhile, the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is struggling to maintain its manpower, with the number of sworn officers declining to a half-century low, according to the study.

In March, D.C. passed a crime bill that increased penalties for theft, expanded pretrial detention for violent offenders and established “drug-free zones” across the city, according to Axios. However, D.C. has a history of passing anti-police legislation, including a 2022 bill blocked by the U.S. Senate that would have placed more restrictions on MPD officers’ detainment protocols in the wake of the death of George Floyd.

The city has seen a 15% decrease in property crime generally so far in 2024, according to city data. Robbery is also trending downward so far in the year as well as violent crime.

Henderson’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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