Metropolitan Police Department: Hearing on Metropolitan Police Department Spending and Performance Review

United States House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations
Subcomittee on the District of Columbia

The Honorable Joe Knollenberg
Chairman

Chief Charles H. Ramsey delivered the following statement during the Hearing on Metropolitan Police Department Spending and Performance Review, US House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on the District of Columbia. The hearing was held on April 4, 2001 with the Honorable Chairman Joe Knollenberg presiding.

Mister Chairman, members of the Subcommittee, staff, and guests - I appreciate the opportunity to present this opening statement outlining the Metropolitan Police Department's recent spending and performance trends. For your information, the text of my prepared remarks is available on our Department's Website, mpdc.dc.gov.

This hearing comes at a time of continued progress within the MPDC. With the help of this subcommittee, the Congress, Mayor Williams, and the DC Council, the MPDC has initiated a major rebuilding effort over the last three years. We have made tremendous strides in shoring up both our physical and technological infrastructure, as well as our capacity to fight crime and partner with the community in community policing. These efforts are ongoing - we still have a long way to go - but our progress has been significant. And we look forward to the continued support of both the District and federal governments as this rebuilding effort continues.

Of course, this hearing also comes at a time of enormous challenges for our Department - not the least of which is the continuing investigation into offensive e-mails sent by some of our officers, and the impact this is having on our relationship with the community. In light of the recent audit of e-mail communications that I ordered, and the subsequent discovery of numerous vulgar and racist messages, it is imperative that our Department acknowledge we have problems within our ranks - problems that must be addressed, and that will be solved. I will update the subcommittee on the status of this investigation and the steps we are taking later in my statement.

First, I want to provide you with a status report on our rebuilding efforts and the recent enhancements to our community policing strategy.

This body in particular has played a critical role in supporting our five-year, $100-million-dollar facilities upgrade program. Just a few years ago, many of our district stations and other facilities were in a truly decrepit state. Today, these facilities have new locker rooms, upgraded heating and cooling systems, new windows, improved security and other essentials that are helping to boost the morale and productivity of our employees. At the same time, we are in the process of making our facilities more accessible and user-friendly to the community.

We have also made great progress in upgrading our information technology, through a combination of capital and operating funds, as well as user fees. This June, we will move into a new, joint 9-1-1 communications center with the Fire and EMS Department. We have implemented 3-1-1 as the District's new police non-emergency number. We have upgraded and expanded our Mobile Digital Computer network - a valuable law enforcement tool that I will not scale back simply because a small number of officers may have abused the system's e-mail capabilities. In part because of preparations for Y2K, we have installed hundreds of new desktop computers and made significant upgrades to our legacy systems. We have designed and equipped a state-of-the-art Synchronized Operations Command Center that has been invaluable for major events such as the IMF/World Bank protests and the Presidential Inauguration, as well as everyday crime-fighting. And we have designed and continue to maintain an extensive Web site. These and other IT initiatives are making a big difference in our ability to collect and analyze information and to design effective community policing strategies.

We have equipped our officers with new, less-than-lethal weaponry, and we have upgraded the protective gear for our Civil Disturbance Units, supported by recent Congressional appropriations. In addition, we continue to upgrade our fleet with new vehicles and improved preventive maintenance. Later this month, we will be moving our Fleet Services to the old North East Ford dealership on West Virginia Avenue, NE - which the Washington Business Journal has cited as a "business deal of the year" in DC.