Rise in D.C. robbery rate eases amid crackdown "I thought they were just joking at first," Bunn said. Then one of the men flashed a gun tucked into his pants. A steep increase in robberies that alarmed District authorities and residents in early 2012 has eased at the midyear mark. Police credit a range of tactics for helping slow the rise. "Our officers have been working tirelessly to address the robberies throughout the city," D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said in an e-mail last week. And while robberies were up in every police district as of mid-March, that's no longer the case. Still, in many parts of the city - such as Congress Heights - police continue to battle resistant robbery trends, and residents continue to contend with sometimes-dangerous streets. Although robberies rose 20 percent year over year through March, they were up less than 8 percent as of June 28, the most recent day for which department statistics were available. Robberies in which the suspect used a gun, up about 55 percent after three months of this year, are now up 21 percent. In the 2nd Police District, which covers much of Northwest Washington, robberies were up more than 25 percent through March; they are now down year over year. They are also down in the 3rd and 4th districts. Progress has been slower in the city's eastern police districts. The 5th District, which has seen robberies rise about 15 percent so far this year, is slightly ahead of the pace set through March. And in the city's southeastern 1st, 6th and 7th districts, the rate of increase has slowed since March - particularly in the southernmost 7th District - but robberies are nevertheless still higher than in 2011. Arrests are up. As of June 27, police reported 639 robbery arrests - up 26 percent from the same period in 2011. "It won't change overnight, but our work seems to be paying off," Lanier wrote in her e-mail. Police tactics Police officials declined to discuss tactics in detail. But Lanier did say police are sending more officers to specific areas where high numbers of robberies have been reported since May: Benning Ridge, Congress Heights, Washington Highlands, Carver/Langston and Rosedale in the east, and the North Capitol Street-O Street area near New York Avenue. Since May, according to police, those areas have seen decreases in robberies, together totaling about 26 percent. Metro Transit Police Deputy Chief Ron Pavlik said his department has shared intelligence with Lanier's, trading information on incidents and suspects. Metro Transit Police have placed decoy officers on trains and in stations to attract and catch criminals, Pavlik said. Lanier said her department has also used covert tactics. And city police have encouraged residents to share tips that lead to robbery arrests, offering rewards of up to $10,000 for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of robbery suspects or individuals who resell stolen goods.