A Letter from Assistant Chief Brian K. Jordan

Chief Charles H. Ramsey has made professional conduct a cornerstone of his administration. Accordingly, the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) is committed to ensuring the highest standards of performance among members of the Metropolitan Police Department. An integral part of this commitment is the agency’s emphasis on accountability and responsibility. Inherent in the ability to hold employees accountable is the requirement to properly track and analyze data and to present that data to the community. Ultimately, the Metropolitan Police Department is accountable to the residents of the District of Columbia.

This Office of Professional Responsibility Force Investigation Team annual report is part of the Metropolitan Police Department’s effort to keep the citizenry and other stakeholders informed about the department’s actions in the area of police use of deadly-force. While deadly force is clearly a volatile issue, the Metropolitan Police Department has made exceptional progress in the area of police deadly force policy, training, and investigation. As it relates to the Office of Professional Responsibility, I am personally committed to ensuring that members of the department are accountable not only for their force-related behavior, but their overall conduct as well.

As the Metropolitan Police Department concluded the first year of the new millennium and embarks on the second, it enjoys a marked increase in the professionalism of its members. Through OPR accountability practices, the department is able to document improvements through declines in the use of deadly-force, as well as reductions in complaints of misconduct.