Remarks on the Nomination of Pamela Smith as Police Chief
REMARKS
Councilmember Nadeau gave opening remarks during the nomination hearing for Pamela Smith as chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, where she has been in "acting" capacity since July. Councilmember Nadeau told her she is encouraged by the things she has said to her and publicly, such as support for more community engagement by officers and distributing police resources where crime is highest. The Councilmember has appreciated the opportunity to join several police walks in the ward, including one last week in Mount Pleasant.
She shared her vision of a comprehensive approach to public safety. No one tool is going to solve crime in the District. No one agency can do it alone. Effective prevention requires policing, mental health services, social services, substance use disorder services, not to mention jobs and housing.
Prepared remarks are below the video.
Thank you, Madam Chair, thank you for convening this hearing.
And thank you Chief Smith for taking on the difficult job of leading MPD and addressing public safety in a post-pandemic era. I look forward to hearing today your concrete priorities for improving public safety in the District and how Council can support your efforts.
It’s been a difficult year for public safety in Ward 1 and across the District. The new yesterday that we have surpassed 200 homicides in the District this year, was devastating. Wherever you live in the District, you are feeling the impact of this violence.
I get it. Yes, I’m a Councilmember, but I’m also a mom, raising my two daughters in Ward 1. no one should have to worry about their safety walking down the street, enjoying our public spaces, patronizing businesses. None of this is ok.
The only way we are going to get through this is by working together thoughtfully and strategically.
You’ve heard me say, I believe in a comprehensive approach to public safety. I’m not alone – everyone on the Council agrees. I think you agree. The Mayor agrees. No one tool is going to solve crime in the District. No one agency can do it alone. Effective prevention requires policing, mental health services, social services, substance use disorder services, not to mention jobs and housing.
Chief, you have said things publicly and in our conversations that I appreciate and are encouraging to me. You’ve expressed support for more community engagement by your officers and you have already started this. I've appreciated the opportunity to join MPD-initiated community walks all over Ward 1. I know that officers are engaging with businesses and residents and hitting key locations.
You’ve also talked about distributing police resources more equitably based on incidence of crime – this is something that I have talked about with you. I’ve also asked you directly to allocate more officers to the U Street area (Police Service Area 305) and to other hot spots in Ward 1, which are chronically understaffed compared to PSAs with less crime in other wards. I’ve requested that you find funds for an additional mobile camera and pledge to allocate funds in the next budget if that does not happen sooner. I look forward today to hearing more about how you plan to do that – what your strategy will be and how you will determine where and when to allocate resources.
As we all know, recruiting and retaining sworn officers is a challenge for MPD, as it is for police departments in nearly every large city in the country. You offer bonuses of $25,000 and still it’s hard to recruit. The Council has provided funding each year for more positions than MPD has been able to fill – that is, lack of funding is not the issue here. One thing I have done in this area is to introduce legislation that will increase eligibility for the Cadet program and increase pay for those going through the program. I have spoken with some of the cadets who are enthusiastic about this idea, and I hope that the Council will take up my bill so that we can get more recruits in the pipeline that way. I am interested to hear what else you are doing to increase recruitment and retention.
Another challenge MPD faces daily is not being able to test the evidence it collects from crime scenes because the crime lab is shut down. To fix that, I am working on a bill to help the crime lab at DFS—which lost its’ accreditation in 2021—get its reaccreditation back. Inability to process evidence is a significant obstacle to prosecution and must be addressed expeditiously.
And we have a serious problem with the Office of Unified Communications. We simply cannot have people call 911 and have to wait for 30-60-90 seconds – or 5 minutes or more. This is not in your purview, of course, Chief, but it’s important in every public safety conversation to be mindful o`f the tools that we already have in place, and work to make sure that we are putting those into practice and using them effectively.
Over the summer, Council passed the Prioritizing Public Safety Emergency Act in July, which gives judges additional tools to keep some of the most violent offenders off our streets and expanding the Council’s popular camera rebate program. It includes an amendment I co-introduced to require more community-focused policing. It also strengthens my "Red Flag" law, which requires the immediate removal of firearms from people at highest risk do harm to themselves or others. I opposed a provision to increase pre-trial detention for youth and I will continue to oppose that provision as we craft a “permanent” version of the legislation this fall.
The public safety issues we are facing won’t be solved overnight. And we must do things in short-term, medium-term, and long-term.
It’s important to be clear about who does what.
Council passes laws like the one I mentioned earlier, that provide tools to our government partners.
MPD implements patrolling and crime-stopping strategies and tactics.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office— which is accountable to the federal government only and not DC residents or the Council— makes decisions about what cases to prosecute and how to prosecute them. But it has recently declined to prosecute 67% of DC cases.
And finally, the Executive—the branch of government with the most power to do something about public safety— hosts numerous programs, from the Office of Nightlife to mental health services, ABRA, affordable housing, DPW parking enforcement and more.
I remain as intent as ever on prioritizing police, social support services, parking, and other enforcement. I continue to believe, because it’s based on evidence, that longer term strategies such as addressing homelessness and creating job opportunities are the true way to eliminate crime.
Chief Smith, I look forward to hearing your testimony and asking you questions about your priorities, especially for Ward 1.