Metropolitan Police Department: Chief Ramsey Welcomes Thirty-Two New Officers to the MPDC

Chief Charles H. Ramsey delivered the following remarks during graduation ceremonies for Metropolitan Police Department Recruit Class 2000-5, held at the Bureau of Engraving auditorium in Southwest DC, on March 16, 2001. Thirty-two new officers were sworn in during the event.

"To the members of Recruit Class 2000-5, I say 'Congratulations and Welcome'. Welcome to the finest profession there is, the profession of policing. Welcome to the very best police department in the nation, indeed the best in the world, the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, DC.

You are now members of an elite group of individuals. A group that is sworn to serve and protect our nation's capital and the residents of this great city. It is a responsibility, an achievement, that many people strive for - but very few ever attain. Each and every one of you should be very proud of what you have accomplished here today.

Thank you, family members and friends, for being here today. And welcome to the MPDC family as well. Today is a day filled with a lot of emotions for you, the members of Class 2000-5. There is joy and probably a good measure of relief. There is a tremendous sense of personal accomplishment —and certainly excitement about the challenges that lie ahead. Through your hard work, your persistence, your dedication to duty— each of you has demonstrated that you have what it takes to be a member of this profession and this Department. Remember that accomplishment, treasure it, each and every day of your career. In just a few minutes, you will be pinning on the badge of the Metropolitan Police Department for the first time. Pinning on the badge is a special moment for all police officers - in our Department and in departments around the world.

Almost three years ago, we modified this portion of the graduation ceremony to include family members and other loved ones in the process. Each of you has selected someone special in your life who will come up on stage to help you pin on the badge for the very first time. When that person stands here next to you, to share in this special moment. I would ask that you pause for just a minute and look in that person's eyes. Note the look of pride and joy and love on their face. And then, every day you don your uniform and pin on your badge —and I hope there will be many, many of those days for each of you— remember this moment, and the loved ones who shared it with you. Remember their love and their pride and I guarantee you that you will never do anything to tarnish your badge or bring discredit upon yourself or your Department.

Each of you has completed nearly six months of rigorous academic, physical and tactical training—the last thing you are probably thinking about right now is more training. But as you leave here today, remember that your training and education have only just begun. In this profession, and on this Department, you must be prepared to be "in training" every day of your career. A couple of years ago, we have adopted the policy that "every day is a training day" in the Metropolitan Police Department. And we are fulfilling that commitment through our daily roll-call training; through annual in-service and firearms training; through specialized courses; and, of course, through the on-the-job knowledge and experience you gain "by doing" and by working with your fellow officers and civilian employees. Relish the training opportunities we provide you. Seek out new information and ideas. And apply what you have learned to help you do your job better every day. Keep learning in this job and you will definitely be a better police officer for the effort.

Much of the training you received in the Academy and the much of the training you will continue to receive from the Department focuses on the law enforcement aspects of our job ... and that is certainly appropriate.

Enforcing the law and arresting and apprehending offenders is central to our mission as police officers and a critical component of our 'Policing for Prevention' strategy. Enforcing the law is a unique responsibility that our city and our residents have bestowed on each and every sworn member of the Metropolitan Police Department. It is an awesome responsibility, and it is absolutely critical that each of us be trained —and constantly re-trained— in the fair, judicious and effective use of our law enforcement powers. Use-of-force, search-and-seizure, the criminal code and civil rights are not topics that can be addressed in a few hours of classroom training and then left alone. These are fundamental issues, along with police tactics and officer safety, that must be re-visited and continually reinforced throughout our careers. They are just that important. But while training in the fundamentals of law enforcement is certainly important, our jobs entail much more than enforcing the law.