Metropolitan Police Department: Remarks from Public Hearing on Bill 14-372, The "Improved Child Abuse Investigations Amendment Act of 2001"

Remarks from the Public Hearing on Bill 14-372, The "Improved Child Abuse Investigations Amendment Act of 2001"

Alfred Broadbent
Assistant Chief of Police
Metropolitan Police Department

Chief Alfred J. Broadbent delivered the following statement during the "Public Oversight Hearings on Personnel Policies and Practices of the Metropolitan Police Department," sponsored by the Committee on the Judiciary, Council of the District of Columbia. The hearing was held January 4, 2002.

Chairwoman Patterson, Chairperson Allen, members of the Committees, staff, and guests … on behalf of Chief Ramsey, I want to thank you for the opportunity to join with many of my colleagues in the fight against child abuse, to update you on our collaborative efforts and to offer comments on the legislation being considered today. As a reminder, the complete text of my prepared testimony has been posted on the Metropolitan Police Department’s Website: www.mpdc.dc.gov.

I want to begin today by restating our Department’s commitment to combating child abuse in our city – in particular, to ensuring that investigations of this crime are conducted in a thorough, expeditious and, above all, effective manner. Like our partners in the Child and Family Services Agency, the Children’s Advocacy Center, the DC Superior Court and so many others, we recognize that effectively investigating cases of child abuse is essential not only to protecting the individual victims of past abuse, but also to preventing future acts of abuse against these and other potential victims. If we are to protect some of our city’s most vulnerable citizens – our children – we must demonstrate the capacity, and the tenacity, to investigate these cases thoroughly and to find lasting solutions to the underlying problems of these tragedies.

To achieve these dual goals of protection and prevention, the MPD recognizes that we must work in concert with other criminal justice, social service and child welfare agencies. This commitment to cooperation and collaboration has been an essential step in fostering a range of improvements we have already achieved. And cooperation and collaboration will remain essential ingredients as we move forward in enacting further reforms.

With the leadership of Mayor Williams – and with the strong input, oversight and support of the Council – I believe we have made important progress over the last several months in strengthening our capacity to investigate child abuse cases. And while a significant amount of work remains to be done – much of it to be guided by the legislation now under consideration – I think we are on the right track.