Washington, D.C. -- Today, D.C. Councilmember Vincent C. Gray introduced legislation to retain high quality police officers and enhance efforts to recruit new police.

Gray’s legislation, the “Police Officer Recruitment and Retention Act of 2023,” is multi-faceted and seeks to address numerous issues that have resulted in a steep decline in the number of sworn officers employed by the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia.

At present, MPD employs 3,386 sworn officers. In 2013, the number was 4,010. Alarmingly, a precipitous decrease of nearly 500 officers since 2018 has coincided with an increase in homicides to levels not seen in 20 years.

Gray’s legislation will:

• Authorize the mayor to provide bonuses equal to one year of salary to police officers who are eligible for retirement, provided those officers delay retirement by 5-years. This should incentivize veteran officers with valuable experience to continue to serve our communities;
• Restore collective bargaining rights and undo changes in workplace practices imposed by the Council that have made MPD a less-attractive employer to current and potential police officers. This should aid in retaining experienced officers and attracting new recruits at a time when MPD ranks are being reduced by nearly 100 officers per year, and;
• Authorize the mayor to fund any other negotiated recruitment and retention incentives for sworn officers.

Six years ago, Gray foresaw the challenges MPD is confronting today.

In 2017, his “Force of 4,200 - Police Officer Recruitment and Retention Emergency Act” sought to stem attrition and attract new talent to MPD. Unfortunately, the then-chair of the Judiciary Committee did not hold a hearing on the legislation; subsequently, it died. Now, MPD has nearly 500 fewer officers and public safety is the top concern of District residents.

“In the District today, we have fewer police officers than at any moment in the past 20 years. At the same time, we are experiencing a 20-year high in homicides. Tragic and brazen crimes are in the headlines nearly every day. School children are robbed at gunpoint. Our roads are increasingly dangerous. Sadly, the list goes on,” said Gray. “After a horrendous crime or crime spree, we hear residents call for more police. The frustrating reality is that there are no more police. When we assign a patrol to a neighborhood, Metro station or anywhere else, we are taking that resource away from a different location.”