For Immediate Release
December 20, 2021
Contact: press@gorefordc.com
(202) 697-7056
DC Council At-Large Candidate Lisa Gore
Statement on MPD's Failure to Terminate
Officers for Criminal Misconduct
Washington, D.C. – “I, like many of the district residents I have recently spoken to, read in disbelief the story that appeared online by DC List entitled, “D.C. Police Tried To Fire 24 Current Officers For ‘Criminal Offenses.’ A Powerful Panel Blocked Nearly Every One, Documents Show.”
As a former law enforcement officer, I uniquely understand the challenges impacting modern policing. And as a citizen of the District of Columbia, I also join with my community standing for accountability regarding the actions of officers that have taken an oath to protect the people and the neighborhoods where we live. Police officers have the core responsibility of protecting and safeguarding our communities. The information revealed through this reporting is deeply disturbing and brings into question the overall integrity of the department itself. We trust police officers to equitably enforce the law. They are not above the law. And they must be held to the same level of accountability as any other citizen.
Yet, according to reports, dozens of officers whom the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Disciplinary Review Division sought to terminate as a result of serious allegations, remain on the force as a result of the Adverse Action Panel (AAP).
The Council must now take seriously its role in providing oversight of this agency to determine the full scope of facts relative to this very unsettling news reporting. I would even go as far as to say that the actions of these officers, the subsequent review of their infractions, combined with past citizen complaints warrant an independent review to restore a sense of confidence in a department we all vitally rely upon.
Criminal behavior by police officers is beyond unacceptable and should not be tolerated and will not be by this citizen and candidate. It is a cancer that, if left unchecked, jeopardizes the very fabric of our social covenant of law and order and further widens the gap between police and communities.
The imminent issue is now that these troubling facts have come to light, will the government act forcefully in the best interest of its citizenry and act in the best interest of all and not in the interest of a sworn protected few. MPD must evolve beyond this perception of protecting the Thin Blue Line even at the cost of those they took an oath to protect.”
Lisa Gore is a candidate for the DC Council At-Large Democratic seat and the current Vice-Chair of ANC 3/4G. She is a retired Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General with extensive experience in law enforcement and policy oversight. To learn more visit: GoreforDC.com.
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