WASHINGTON — Twenty-one senior DC Police officers won't return to their posts next month, several of whom are out due to a rule regarding officers having "serious misconduct in their background," the police department confirmed to WUSA9 on Thursday.
The formerly retired officers, classified as senior officers or senior sergeants, won't return to the department after their contracts end on Tuesday, a DC Police spokesperson said.
According to the police department, their senior police officers are reappointed each year to a term that ends in April. They then determine if a contract should be renewed.
"This year, the Department also had to apply a provision of the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022 that prohibits MPD from appointing police officers who have any serious misconduct in their background," the police spokesperson said.
Information on what the serious misconduct was has not been released.
This week, the police department informed 12 members that their contracts wouldn't be renewed due to this issue. Another nine officers were not renewed for "a variety of reasons," the spokesperson said.
When WUSA9 asked about the impact these losses would have on the department, the spokesperson said they are constantly recruiting and have 18 cadets who will become recruit officers next month.
The DC Police Union released the following statement Wednesday:
The DC Police Union was notified that twelve Senior Police Officers will be dismissed from service over the coming months. Senior Police Officers are officers who have retired from the department, but returned to continue serving their community as sworn law enforcement officers. The reason that the MPD provided to the Union for these dismissals is the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Act of 2022. This bill, which is inarguably the worst piece of public safety legislation the DC Council has ever passed, continues to wreak havoc on the police department. It’s well worth noting that this legislation was drafted and championed by Charles Allen and his anti-police acolytes. The bill prohibits the hiring of sworn personnel if they have ever received sustained discipline from any law enforcement agency. This includes the Metropolitan Police Department, meaning that these officers, who have spent their careers serving and protecting this city, are ineligible to be retained by the MPD due to prior administrative personnel matters, some of which are over 20 years old.
DC Police Union Chairman Gregg Pemberton stated, “These officers represent a collective experience of over 300 years in law enforcement, and their contributions have been critical to the safety and security of our city. Many of these officers have received commendations for their bravery and service, making this decision even more frustrating.”
Even the US House of Representatives and the Senate, in a truly bipartisan effort, voted to disapprove this law; however, President Biden vetoed the effort, which thereby enacted this law permanently. It is long past time that the D.C. Council repeal the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Act of 2022. We have lost over 1,400 members since the legislation was first enacted in 2020, and crime continues to plague our city. We cannot afford to lose any more members than we have already suffered. It is our hope that the Council will reevaluate the anti-police positions they took in 2020 and prioritize a balanced approach that allows police officers to do their job and seeks to restore the staffing levels on the MPD.
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