News Room December 13, 2001 Remarks from Oversight Hearing on Personnel Policies and Practices of the Metropolitan Police Department (Cont.) There are a number of other challenges we continue to face in the area of personnel policies and practices. For example, the number of members on long-term sick leave, limited duty and administrative leave remains a concern. As you well know, members who are in these status types are members who are not out on the street fighting crime and establishing partnerships with the community. Over the past three years, we have had some success in reducing the number of sworn members unavailable for full duty, but we continue to look for ways to reduce that number even further – and, once we have reduced the number, to keep it there. As I said at the beginning of my statement, we all recognize the dual needs of getting more police officers on the street and enhancing the quality of the officers within our ranks. The deployment plan I will be presenting to the Mayor provides a road map for achieving both of these goals. The plan will cover not only how we assign our sworn members, but also how we use resources such as the National Guard, the Reserve Corps and other citizen volunteers. For in this time of crisis – and following September 11th, we are in a time of crisis – there are things the MPD can do to enhance public safety and reduce citizen fear. But there are also things the community can do – by attending PSA meetings, joining problem-solving groups, forming Neighborhood Watches, or joining the Reserve Corps, to name a few. In responding to the crisis at hand, I want to bring to bear all of the resources we have – police and community. September 11th changed the way all police departments do business, just as it changed the public’s level of fear and anxiety. At the same time, we need to recognize that policing in the District of Columbia has always been different from policing in any other jurisdiction in the country. And the unique nature of our role and our mission in the community has grown since “Nine-Eleven.” Contrary to continuing media reports, we do not have neighborhood patrol officers guarding the White House, the Vice President’s residence and other federal installations. But we do have unique policing responsibilities as the primary law enforcement agency in our Nation’s Capital – responsibilities to both our neighborhoods and our downtown areas. The reality is that our neighborhoods cannot be safe if the rest of Washington, DC, is not safe. And the rest of Washington, DC, cannot be safe if our neighborhoods are not safe. This is not an “either-or” proposition. Our responsibility is to help ensure that all of Washington, DC, is safe, and that is what I am committed to achieving. I am confident that we have a solid reform program upon which to build – a reform program shaped by the Special Committee’s work back in 1997 and 1998, and driven by the cooperative efforts of the MPD, the Mayor and the Council over the last three years. I look forward to this continued spirit of cooperation as we work together toward our shared goals of visibility, quality and public safety for all. Thank you. Page 5 of 5        1   2   3   4    5