- You can expect an efficient, well-managed police department. A police department that attracts and retains a diverse group of qualified and highly motivated professionals. A police department that provides superior training, both to its recruits as well as experienced members. A police department that provides its members with the equipment, technology and information they need to do their jobs. A police department in which the organization supports—and does not interfere with—the work of its officers. And a police department that is efficiently staffed to respond quickly to crime hot spots, while being flexible enough to anticipate emerging crime problems through a greater presence in the neighborhoods.
- You can expect safer communities and an improved quality of life in all neighborhoods. Ultimately, these are the bottom-line measures of success. I intend to be successful through a new community policing model that responds to the needs of the District. Defining and implementing this new policing model will take some time. But two elements of this new strategy will be certain: partnerships with the community and a problem-solving approach to crime reduction and control.
These are some of the changes you can expect from me, personally, and from the Department as a whole under my leadership. At the same time, the Metropolitan Police Department will expect some changes from the community as well. First and foremost, we will expect the community to recognize that responsibility for the safety of this District goes well beyond the police. The police have a unique and central role in public safety, and the MPDC will fulfill that role with honor and distinction. But responsibility for our communities also rests with residents, business people and their employees, other municipal agencies, elected officials, and everyone else who has a stake in our collective future.
As Chief of Police, I will provide all of these stakeholders with new and meaningful ways to get involved with the police in enhancing neighborhood safety. But I will also expect that the community will step forward and take advantage of the opportunities the MPDC provides. We will continue to need the community's eyes and ears; we need you to call the police when you see crime. But we will need your minds and bodies as well. We will need all stakeholders to roll up your sleeves and work with us in the difficult but rewarding task of solving neighborhood crime problems and strengthening communities.
Expect excellence, expect success. That is my message to the men and women of the Metropolitan Police Department, to the people who live and work here in the District, to the political leadership of the District, to the news media, to all. You have placed an enormous trust in me. For that, I am grateful and extraordinarily proud. With your support, I will do everything in my power to live up to the trust and responsibility you have placed in me.
Together we can make the Metropolitan Police Department the best police department there is. And together we can make this City—our nation's crown jewel—the safest major city in the country. Today is the start of a new beginning for all of us.
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