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Commendations, Citizen Complaints and Use of Force Issues
The Metropolitan Police Department is committed to providing quality, professional service to all members of the community. The MPD does its best to recognize individuals who provide exemplary service. Community members or visitors to DC who have had a positive experience with an MPDC officer or civilian employee are invited to share their positive experiences by submitting a commendation.
Sometimes, however, individuals may feel that a member of the MPDC has failed to meet that standard by engaging in misconduct (including excessive force). In these situations, individuals are encouraged to file a formal citizen complaint.
The MPD investigates all citizen complaints in a fair, thorough, and impartial manner. In some cases, investigations are conducted in conjunction with the DC Office of Police Complaints (OPC). This section of the MPD website helps to explain the citizen complaint process, including how to file a complaint, and how that complaint is investigated.
Incidents in which police officers use force—up to, and including, deadly force—are particularly sensitive matters. The MPD created the Civil Rights and Force Investigation Section to investigate incidents in which MPD officers use force, and to monitor and improve use-of-force policies and procedures. This section explains the organization and function of the MPD’s Civil Rights and Force Investigations Branch.
Commendations
Citizen Complaints
Filing Property Claims against the MPD
All claims against the District of Columbia should be sumbitted to the DC Office of Risk Management.
Use of Force Issues
In January 1999, Chief of Police Charles H. Ramsey asked the Justice Department to review all aspects of use of force within the MPD. In June 2001, the MPD signed a historic Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Justice Department outlining a number of reforms in the use-of-force area. In April 2008, Mayor Adrian Fenty and Chief Cathy Lanier announced that the Department of Justice agreed to terminate its Memorandum of Agreement on use of force after nearly seven years. As a result, MPD is no longer subject to review by an Independent Monitor. However, the Civil Rights and Force Investigation Section continues to monitor use-of-force issues.
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