Metropolitan Police Department: Chief Ramsey Welcomes Twenty-Seven New Officers to the MPDC-Page 2

After today, each of you will be assigned to one of our seven police districts, working in a scout car in one of DC's neighborhoods. Despite tremendous progress in reducing crime and restoring our neighborhoods, many of you will work in communities that remain challenged by crime and the fear of crime, by economic and social instability. In many of these communities you will be a beacon of light and hope - maybe one of the few such beacons that exist there. You will be someone the community can turn to and count on in times of need. And like a true beacon, you will need to be steady and constant, visible and strong. Above all, you will need to treat all people at all times with the highest level of dignity and respect. Regardless of the economic means or social standing or political power of the individuals you serve, my advice to you is simple: treat every single individual you encounter with the same compassion and respect that you would like to receive from others, and that you would like your family members and loved ones to receive. Do this, and you will never, ever go wrong.

So the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics makes it clear that our mission as police officers is to safeguard lives and property. But the Code also reminds us that there is another, equally important part to our mission - and I quote - "to respect the constitutional rights of all persons to liberty, equality and justice." As police officers, we have a unique and solemn responsibility to protect not just other peoples' material possessions. We have been given the responsibility to protect the very rights that define us as Americans - the right to assemble, to speak, to petition the government, to seek and receive justice. As individuals, we may not always agree with the persons and groups who come to this, our Nation's Capital, to speak out on the issues of the day. In some cases, we may personally detest their viewpoints. But as police officers, as defenders of the constitution, we - and we alone - have the responsibility of ensuring that the rights of others are protected. This is an awesome responsibility, but one that I know each of you is prepared to accept and to carry out.

I have covered just the first paragraph of the Code of Ethics. I do not intend to go over the entire document in detail this morning. But I hope you have a new and better appreciation for just how momentous and important this short document is. And I would encourage each and every one of our new officers - as well as the veteran members who are here today - to go back and take a fresh look at our Code of Ethics. And I would ask you to think about how you are living this Code in your daily lives - as police officers; as spouses, parents, and family members; and as members of the larger community. For if there is one other thing that the Code of Ethics is very clear about, it is that our responsibility to serve others and to be a model of honesty and integrity is not a part-time occupation that ends with our tour of duty. In the eyes of the community and in the eyes of your peers, you do not stop being a police officer - and a member of this proud Department - when we take off our uniforms.

The pride, the dignity, the honor and the integrity that are symbolized by the uniform we all wear on the job--and by the badge you will pin on in just a few minutes--are the very same ideals that we must live by when we are off-duty as well. "Honest in thought and deed in both my personal and official life, I will be exemplary in obeying the laws of the land and my department." That's what the Code of Ethics expects of you. And it is the standard I demand of each and every member of this Department.

In closing, I want to congratulate all of you again and welcome you to the MPDC. Welcome to a Department that is on the move - a Department with a strong ethic of service, a new commitment to excellence, and a strategy of community policing that is producing results. Welcome to a Department that is open to new ideas - and a Department that is eager to see these new ideas work. Welcome to a Department that takes seriously the Code of Ethics that we have all sworn to uphold - a Department that lives the Code in everything we do. And welcome to a Department that will always hold a special place as a defender of democratic rights and values - right here in the cradle of democracy, our Nation's Capital.

Thank you again ... welcome ... and may God bless each of you and your families.

Recruit Officers Sworn-In
Officer Charles Anthony	Officer Aisha Z. Jackson
Officer Geraldine M. Bagley	Officer Crystal Jones
Officer William Belton III	Officer Jeffrey W. Labofish
Officer Douglas Birk	Officer Michael O'Harran
Officer Arthur E. Brown	Officer Oda Poole III
Officer Kevin Carey	Officer Anthony R. Pradier
Officer Brian Eagle	Officer Ryan Roe
Officer Edward P. Farris	Officer Clayton R. Smith
Officer Demetrius Fauntleroy	Officer John A. Stathers
Officer Ulises Fernandez	Officer Michael A. Topper
Officer Ralph K. Flanigan	Officer David Wallace
Officer Myron Glover	Officer Marvin M. Washington
Officer Keif Green	Officer Savyon I. Weinfeld
Officer Adrian W. Harris