Gray Bill ("Police Officer Recruitment and Retention Act of 2023") Increases Number of MPD Officers

[Sunrise]

Police Officer Recruitment and Retention Act of 2023​

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.

Legislative Text:



See the full thread. We'll see if this goes anywhere.

 

[RFBfromDE]

* 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 alone costs little or nothing and would be more effective than the bribe aspect.

 

[Sunrise]

* 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 alone costs little or nothing and would be more effective than the bribe aspect.

Yeah. Restoring disciplinary matters to collective bargaining with the DC Police Union is a big deal. The Council dropped that in 2020 and the Union was unsuccessful in fighting it in the Courts.

The Legislation also shortens the time period in which MPD can bring charges against officers in violation of the law. It's currently 180 days and this Legislation would reduce it to 90 days. The Legislation also prohibits MPD trial boards from increasing any proposed penalties against officers.

The Legislation authorizes up to 4,200 officers which is a substantial bump. If they manage to hit 4,000 anytime soon, I'll be impressed, but it sounds like that's the goal:



Guess it finally got bad enough....

 

[Sunrise]

Former MPD Chief Lanier warned the DC Council in 2010 that if MPD staffing fell below 3,800 officers, it would be "trouble".

Lanier: Number of cops fallen below danger level - WTOP News

The total number of police officers in the city is 3,830, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said on WTOP's "Ask the Chief" on Thursday. At least 100 of these are currently in the police academy…

wtop.com

“I saw this coming,” Lanier said on Thursday, adding she had “sounded the alarm” to the D.C. government two years ago about the dangers of falling below her hard line.

MPD is at 3,386 officers now.

 

[Sunrise]

Also see here from 2011:

Bill would require 4,000 D.C. police officers

Oh well. Guess that didn't happen.

 

[RFBfromDE]

Also see here from 2011:

Bill would require 4,000 D.C. police officers

Oh well. Guess that didn't happen.

Do you know if there is still a BLM Blvd in DC?

If so, they aren't serious.

OK, so they are NEVER serious!

 

[Sunrise]

Do you know if there is still a BLM Blvd in DC?

If so, they aren't serious.

OK, so they are NEVER serious!

There's BLM Plaza, which is right in front of The White House and it has a Street Sign right next to the one for 16th Street NW:

Black Lives Matter Plaza - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The conservative activist group Judicial Watch also filed suit against Mayor Muriel Bowser and the District Department of Transportation in response to the installation of Black Lives Matter Plaza. Arguing that the painting of the Black Lives Matter message created a public forum for expression, Judicial Watch requested permission to paint its slogan "Because No One Is Above the Law!" in a similar size on a District street. After the District government did not respond to its inquiries, the group sued in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleging a violation of its First Amendment rights. The case remains pending before Judge Tanya S. Chutkan.

However, the case was ultimately dismissed:

Judicial Watch, Inc. v. Bowser, 590 F. Supp. 3d 1 | Casetext Search + Citator

Read Judicial Watch, Inc. v. Bowser, 590 F. Supp. 3d 1, see flags on bad law, and search Casetext’s comprehensive legal database

casetext.com

 

[Old-School Mark]

Why would anyone want to be an MPD officer today? After an officer was not only charged but convicted of murder because some POS criminal tried to outrun a patrol car on his moped, got hit by a minivan and died of a head injury because he wasn’t wearing a helmet, which was one of the reasons he was being pulled over in the first place.

The treatment of police in DC is disgusting.

 

[Sunrise]

Why would anyone want to be an MPD officer today? After an officer was not only charged but convicted of murder because some POS criminal tried to outrun a patrol car on his moped, got hit by a minivan and died of a head injury because he wasn’t wearing a helmet, which was one of the reasons he was being pulled over in the first place.

The treatment of police in DC is disgusting.

Good question. I don't know.

I guess if the money is good enough? Perhaps some use it as a jumping-off point to another department or a Federal Agency.

 

[Bafflingbs]

These numbers are lies! If you want an accurate count of sworn officers, count the weapons that are assigned. And, fyi, this will still count recruits. I have a reliable source, that says only 3,100 guns are assigned. And that number drops every month. Recruiting is way down, and resignations/retirement’s are way up. They’ll be dipping into the 2,000’s very soon

 

[Inigoes]

These numbers are lies! If you want an accurate count of sworn officers, count the weapons that are assigned. And, fyi, this will still count recruits. I have a reliable source, that says only 3,100 guns are assigned. And that number drops every month. Recruiting is way down, and resignations/retirement’s are way up. They’ll be dipping into the 2,000’s very soon

For a 68 square mile area?

 

[Sunrise]

These numbers are lies! If you want an accurate count of sworn officers, count the weapons that are assigned. And, fyi, this will still count recruits. I have a reliable source, that says only 3,100 guns are assigned. And that number drops every month. Recruiting is way down, and resignations/retirement’s are way up. They’ll be dipping into the 2,000’s very soon

Only 3,100 guns are assigned? Are they passed-off between shifts?

They don't have funds to purchase additional guns?

Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The standard-issue service weapon for MPD officers is the Glock 17 or Glock 19. Officers at the rank of lieutenant or above are authorized to carry the Glock 26.[65] Investigators and Detectives are authorized to carry the Glock 19.

The Emergency Response Team uses the SIG Sauer P226 9x19mm as the sidearm instead of the standard issue Glock pistols carried by other units and officers in the agency.[66]

Interesting write-up here comparing department-issued firearms: https://www.tactical-life.com/guns/handguns/largest-departments-police-sidearms/

 

[Sunrise]

MPD Carjacking Task Force: ‘We Need More' Officers as Crimes Soar​

According to MPD’s own reporting, D.C. is seeing on average more than one carjacking per day this year. The latest report on the MPD Carjacking Dashboard shows 82 carjackings in 2023 as of Feb. 22. The department says they’ve closed 14 of the cases. They report just eight arrests. Some suspects are charged in more than one.

Check out that Carjacking Dashboard....

“I have complete and utter faith in my team. They’re doing absolutely everything they can,” Barnes told the I-Team, although she admitted she could use more officers on the District’s Carjacking Task Force. One investigator recently left the task force for another assignment in the department, leaving her with 11 detectives. Barnes says she “would love another 10 (detectives),” insisting she has work for them right away. MPD says detectives outside the task force investigate some carjacking cases.

How about that.....

 

[Sunrise]

Street Justice:

Teen winds up in ambulance after trying to carjack DC grandma on her way to chemo: MPD

A teen tried to carjack a DC grandma as she was headed to chemotherapy, MPD says. The teen ended up in an ambulance.

wjla.com

The consequence of not having enough police.

 

[Biggfoot44]

* 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 alone costs little or nothing and would be more effective than the bribe aspect.

Costs little in $ , but huge political costs in reversing the Defund/ Bash the Police movement .

 

[Sunrise]

Costs little in $ , but huge political costs in reversing the Defund/ Bash the Police movement .

Why's that?

 

[traveller]

They can 'authorize' 10,000 officers, hiring them is a different issue. The number of qualified people willing to put up with the DC council as their boss is limited. 'Authorizing' is not gonna make that number any larger.

 

[traveller]

Only 3,100 guns are assigned? Are they passed-off between shifts?

They don't have funds to purchase additional guns?

I think he is saying the actual number of officers fit for duty is 3100. The difference is made up by people with no-show jobs, folks on suspension or out on disability.

 

[Sunrise]

They can 'authorize' 10,000 officers, hiring them is a different issue. The number of qualified people willing to put up with the DC council as their boss is limited. 'Authorizing' is not gonna make that number any larger.

Very true.

 

[Sunrise]

I think he is saying the actual number of officers fit for duty is 3100. The difference is made up by people with no-show jobs, folks on suspension or out on disability.

Ah, ok. Makes sense if so.