July 13, 2006
Inspector Andrew Solberg's Statement of Apology
On Sunday, July 9, at about 2:15 in the morning, there was a brutal and horrifying murder in Georgetown. Due to some outstanding police and detective work, four people were arrested within hours and charged with the murder. The following day, community members called a meeting at a church in Georgetown. I was invited to the meeting. As the commanding officer of the area where this occurred, it was my hope and intention that I would be able to calm the fears and concerns felt by the community.
However, some comments that I made at that meeting were insensitive and created other concerns within the community. A friend recently told me that she thought my remarks were “inartful.” I want to apologize for the comments that I made and hope that the community will forgive me.
I love being a DC police officer. My wife and I live in DC, and our four children were born and are being raised in the city. I tell my kids that there are two best things about being a cop in this city. The first is that I have worked in just about every section of the city, and I like to think that I’ve driven down every street and ridden through every alley in the city.
The second is that I have met people all across the city, and I’ve made a lot of friends during my 19 years here.
I believe that those who know my character will understand who I am as a police officer and as a human being. I ask that others who do not know me, and have been hurt, angered, or frustrated by my remarks, view them as inartful, rather than as mean, malicious, or divisive.
I do not want the comments I made to detract from the outstanding police work that went into closing this terrible crime, or the hard work that MPD officers are doing every day when they put their lives on the line to protect the citizens of DC.
I want our city to move forward from this incident, and I want to offer my sincere apology to those who I hurt with my comments, and I look forward to continuing in my service to this community as a member of the finest police department in the world.
Inspector Andrew Solberg
Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, DC
