News Room November 20, 1998 Testimony Before the Council of the District of Columbia on the Judiciary Public Hearing on the "Metropolitan Police Department Management Reform Act of 1998" Chief Charles H. Ramsey Metropolitan Police Department, Washington, DC Chairman Evans, members of the Committee and members of the community, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. My purpose this morning is twofold: first, to express my support for the overall goals of Bill 12-816, the "Metropolitan Police Department Management Reform Act of 1998"; and second, to propose specific recommendations in select areas where I believe the legislation can be improved. The Management Reform Act of 1998 is the result of an intensive, unprecedented examination of the Metropolitan Police Department by this Council and by Special Counsel Mark Tuohey and his staff. Our Department cooperated fully with the Special Counsel, providing complete access to records and information, personnel and Department operations. I, for one, welcome such scrutiny from our elected representatives, from the news media, from the research community, from the community at large. I welcome scrutiny, because with scrutiny comes accountability. And, as you know, accountability is the cornerstone of my plan for rebuilding the MPDC. The Special Counsel's examination, like this week's series in the Washington Post, represents a thorough examination of the past. That is important, because understanding the past is critical to preparing for the future. And my focus, since becoming chief nearly seven months ago, has been decidedly on the future—on rebuilding the Metropolitan Police Department, on restoring the faith and trust of the community, on reducing crime and revitalizing neighborhoods. In the past seven months, our Department has made significant progress in these areas: We have set in motion a reorganization plan that will cut bureaucracy and put more resources in the community. We have supplied our officers with badly needed equipment, including cars, radios, computers and less-than-lethal technology. We have issued new policies in areas such as use of force, and we have strengthened our enforcement of existing policies—ensuring, for example, that all of our officers are completing their semi-annual firearms qualification, which they are. We have intensified our recruitment efforts, and improved our background investigations. We have begun to revamp our entire training function, with an expanded focus on training for recruits, veteran officers, Department managers and the community. We have aggressively addressed a number of blatant crime and quality-of-life problems, including prostitution, environmental crimes and open-air drug markets. And we have opened up new lines of communication with the community—through town hall meetings, the mainstream news media, cable television and, most recently, with the Department's new Web site. With the support of this Council and the communities you represent, we have made significant progress over the last seven months. As importantly, we have laid a solid foundation for the future. The Management Reform Act of 1998 lays out a vision of the future that all of us can agree upon. That vision includes: A police department that is diverse, educated, energetic and ethical. A police department that is well trained at the beginning of their careers—and remains well trained throughout their careers. A police department that is effectively supervised and held accountable all the way up the chain of command—from the PSA officer to the chief of police. A police department whose members are focused on the mission at hand—and not distracted by the requirements of other employers. A police department that is working with the community to solve problems and make Washington, DC, the safest major city in America. I think we can all agree that these are important goals for the future of the Metropolitan Police Department. The question, then, is, "how do we get there?" Page 1 of 3        1   2   3