United States House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform
Subcommittee on the District of Columbia
The Honorable Constance A. Morella
Chairwoman
Charles H. Ramsey
Chief of Police
Metropolitan Police Department
Chief Charles H. Ramsey delivered the following statement during the Hearing on Coordination of Criminal Justice Activities in the District of Columbia, US House of Representatives, Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on the District of Columbia. The hearing was held on May 11, 2001 with the Honorable Chairwoman Constance A. Morella presiding.
Madame Chair, Congresswoman Norton, other members of the Subcommittee, staff, and guests - I appreciate the opportunity to present this statement concerning coordination in the District of Columbia's criminal justice system. For your information, the text of my remarks is available on our Department's website - mpdc.dc.gov.
This hearing comes at a time of continued progress and tremendous promise within the MPDC and the entire DC criminal justice system. This year, as in the five preceding years, crime in our city is down, and down significantly. Thus far in 2001, index crime has declined 6 percent when compared with the same time last year. Homicides are down 34 percent this year, after reaching a 13-year low in the year 2000. Lower crime rates, in turn, have translated into increased public confidence in the police, the justice system and the entire District government, and new investment in housing, jobs and the city's physical and technological infrastructure. Enhanced public safety has been a major factor, I believe, in the rebirth of the District of Columbia.
The reasons for the continuing decline in crime are many and varied. There is no one specific program or trend that we can point to with complete certainty. Still, I am certain that our success in reducing crime and improving public safety does revolve around one basic principle - and that principle is partnerships.
If the history of law enforcement in our nation has taught us anything, it has taught us that the police are most effective and successful when we work in partnership with the other individuals and entities that have a role in public safety in our communities. That lesson has served as the foundation of the community policing movement in our nation over the last decade or so - a movement that has brought police, other government agencies and citizens together in new and meaningful ways. I do not believe it is mere coincidence that the current, six-year reduction in crime in the District of Columbia began right after our city first implemented community policing in the summer of 1997 ... or that our record of success has continued, as we have updated and expanded our original model into the current strategy known as "Policing for Prevention."
When people think of community policing, they often focus on partnerships between police officers and residents. These partnerships are certainly critical to the success of community policing, but they represent only two sides of what we call the "Partnership Triangle." The third side - one that is critically important, but frequently overlooked - represents other government agencies and service providers, especially other agencies of the criminal justice system. In "Policing for Prevention," we take this third side of the Partnership Triangle very seriously. And, working with our city and federal partners in the criminal justice system, we have put together a number of innovative partnership strategies and incorporated them into our larger community policing strategy.
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