Single parents causing crime issues in DC: Ex-police chief

(NewsNation) — A former police chief believes single parents are culpable for youth crime proliferating through the Washington, D.C., area and across the nation.

Tim Fitch, the ex-St. Louis County, Missouri, chief, joined "On Balance" to discuss the topic as President Trump looks to crack down on crime in the nation's capital.

According to Washington's Metropolitan Police Department, 56% of carjacking suspect arrests since August 2023 have been kids younger than 18.

Trump ordered federal law enforcement to begin patrolling the streets of D.C. to crack down on crime, NewsNation learned Thursday.

Fitch says there are various options Trump has, such as deploying the National Guard or temporarily appointing a police chief, but the main fix to youth crime is parenting.

"In many cases, it's a single parent not supervising their children, that's what's causing these issues," Fitch told NewsNation.

"If their 12- and 13-year-olds are out at three and four in the morning doing carjackings, where is that parent?"

Fitch believes holding parents accountable is necessary, perhaps even in the form of issuing them with a summons for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.