The funny thing is that DC has gotten a lot safer in the past 10-15 years. Nothing like back in the 90s.
To wit: there have been a total of 92 homicides in DC this year (13.506 per 100,000). Compare that rate to Baltimore (82.484 per 100,000).
Don't get me wrong, it's not that DC (or any city) is a safe place to leave the doors unlocked, but there are far, far worse places in the country.