Metropolitan Police Department: Oversight Hearing on FY2002 Proposed Budget for the Metropolitan Police Department -Page 4

The FY2002 budget will allow us to expand our automated traffic enforcement program. We will continue the red-light camera program, which has contributed to a 59 percent reduction in violations at the 39 intersections equipped with camera. In addition, the new budget will support our photo radar initiative, which targets speeding on District streets and highways - an extremely serious problem, as you well know. Last year, for example, speeding was a contributing factor in 56 percent of the fatal crashes in our city. We believe that just as the red-light cameras have conditioned more people to stop on red, photo radar should help to dramatically reduce speeding in our city.

Initially, this program will include five vehicles that will be rotated among locations that have a history of speeding-related incidents or have generated citizen complaints. The technology works much the same way as the red-light cameras. When drivers are caught speeding, their rear license plate is captured on film, and a notice of infraction is sent to the registered owner of the vehicle. Both of these programs operate at no cost to the Police Department. All one-time and operating costs related to equipment and the processing of tickets are paid by the vendor, which receives a fixed fee from each citation that is paid. Even though the pass-through of these fees do not represent actual costs to the District, the CFO has required that we have money loaded into the Police Department's budget to cover the fee payments that are made to the vendor. The FY2002 budget includes this line item for both red-light cameras and photo radar.

Finally, the FY2002 budget allows us to exercise the second year option on our fleet maintenance contract. One note about fleet: as you may have heard earlier this week, I have asked both the MPDC's Office of Professional Responsibility and the District's Inspector General to examine the performance of our fleet maintenance contract. I feel it is critical that we get a fresh, independent look at the many questions that have been raised about this matter and let the chips fall where they may. Capital Budget Overview On the capital budget side, the FY 2002 proposal of $46.3 million dollars represents continuation funding for a variety of critical infrastructure and information technology projects. No new capital budget projects are planned or funded for FY2002.

The proposed capital budget will allow us to move forward on Phase 3 of our comprehensive facilities upgrade program. This program has resulted in dramatic improvements in our district stations and other police facilities. New locker rooms, windows, heating and air conditioning systems, plumbing, security systems and other improvements have helped to boost employee morale and make our facilities more attractive and accessible to the public. Along those lines, we are in the process of revamping the desk areas in the district stations to make them more customer-friendly, and we will be adding lighting to the outside of our facilities so that people can better recognize and access police facilities in the District.

Over the next five years, the proposed capital budget for the MPDC totals $78.6 million. This funding will be critical as we continue to rebuild the MPDC's infrastructure and promote community policing through better facilities and improved information technology.

Building a Safer City ... Neighborhood by Neighborhood

Mayor Williams has emphasized that the District's overall FY2002 budget is about getting back to basics - about building a safer, more livable city ... block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood. The MPDC's proposed budget reflects that priority. The budget adds new officers to our communities. It supports ongoing efforts to train, equip and professionalize our sworn personnel and civilian employees. It maintains our physical and technological infrastructure. And perhaps most importantly, the budget keeps our "Policing for Prevention" strategy moving forward - addressing neighborhood problems in the short term and forging strong partnerships for the long haul. It is our success in community policing that will ultimately determine our success as a police department and as a city in ensuring public safety.

I look forward to working with the Committee and the full Council as we work together toward that common goal in FY2002 and beyond. Thank you. I will be happy to address any questions.