News Room February 24, 2004 Public Oversight Hearing on the Metropolitan Police Department's Proposed Plan to Restructure the Police Service Areas (PSAs) (Cont.) Implementing the new PSA structure is no small task for our Department. During the current 60-day Council review period, the MPD has already begun working on a number of implementation issues. These include updating our computer-aided dispatch and radio systems, as well as other critical information systems; determining staffing assignments; realigning our fleet; responding to changing space and equipment needs, and educating the community – to name a few. There is a lot of work to be done, but we are committed to rolling out the new structure as soon as possible following the 60-day Council review period. Our current target date is May 1, 2004. In conclusion, I want to repeat something I said at the beginning of my testimony. The new PSA system is not a panacea to all of the issues confronting the Metropolitan Police Department. But I do believe this change will put our Department in a much stronger position to fight crime and improve the quality of policing in our neighborhoods. I also recognize that these changes alone will not be enough to bring about the type of lasting change that all of us seek when it comes to neighborhood safety. More needs to be done on the “police side” of the community policing partnership – more officers, as we build up to 3,800 this fiscal year; more effective deployment of those officers; and continued improvements in training, equipment and other resources. More also needs to be done on the “city services side” of the partnership – greater focus on quality-of-life problems that impact public safety and greater coordination among the police, other agencies and community groups. And, more needs to be done on the “community side” of the community policing partnership – more residents attending PSA meetings; more residents joining citizen patrols and Neighborhood Watch groups; more residents actively involved in their PSAs, Citizen Advisory Councils, ANCs, neighborhood organizations and the like. Making DC’s neighborhoods safer will take the collective effort of everyone … residents, police officers, other city workers, elected representatives, civic leaders and everyone else working together. The new PSA structure provides a unique opportunity for all of us to re-develop and re-energize these important partnerships. Thank you very much. Page 6 of 6                         1   2   3   4   5   6