Dear neighbors,

This week, I introduced the “Police Officer Recruitment and Retention Act of 2023;" multi-faceted legislation to address numerous issues that have resulted in a steep decline in the number of sworn officers employed by the Metropolitan Police Department.

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. 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.

Our goal should be to have the best police department in the country. We must create conditions that reward high-quality officers and attract the finest recruits. We can reform policing and improve public safety at the same time. It is clear that some well-intended efforts to reform policing have had unintended consequences. Police attrition is having a deleterious effect on public safety. As public officials we often must do two things at once. In this instance, we must continue our reform efforts, but at the same time not preside over a dwindling police department and eroding public safety.

In 2011, then-Chief Cathy Lanier stated that “we’re going to have trouble” if we fall below 3,800 sworn officers. Chief Lanier was right. We now have a mere 3,386 officers. Homicides, shootings, car-jackings, and robberies against residents and businesses plague our neighborhoods.

Chief Lanier wanted 4,000 officers. When I was mayor, we were able to achieve that mark. In turn, during each of my four years as mayor we saw homicides reduced to a generational low.

Indeed, one look at homicide rates compared with the number of MPD officers is eye-opening. Throughout the past 20 years, when we have more police we see a reduced number of homicides. I applaud Mayor Bowser in stating her desire to increase the ranks of MPD to 4,000and I hope that my legislation assists in achieving that objective.

I have and will continue to support a wide range of efforts that steer people away from crime and protect public safety. Education, economic opportunity, violence interruption, mental health, social wraparound and other holistic approaches work. Law enforcement and community policing are also key ingredients in crime prevention. It is clear to me that we have created policies that compromise the effectiveness of MPD. We must revisit those policies, rethink them and alter our course.

My legislation alone is not sufficient to restore MPD to the numbers whereby it can adequately protect District residents from crime, but it is a start. We are experiencing a public safety crisis. All hands on deck. I am encouraging my Council colleagues to put forward their ideas for improving public safety as quickly as possible.

In service,

Vince

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