DC police will fire 20+ senior officers, including some with past disciplinary actions

The Metropolitan Police Department is terminating 21 senior officers, including a dozen who had past disciplinary actions.

They were all senior police officers who had retired and then were rehired.

D.C. police officials have refused to provide many details about what type of misconduct these officers were found to have committed, but they did say the misconduct happened before the officers initially retired. They would not say why those officers were rehired given the previous misconduct.

The firings come in part because of a law passed by the D.C. Council more than a year ago, the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022, which changed the requirements for hiring.

In a statement, an MPD spokesperson cited that legislation as the reason most of the officers are being let go.

"This year, the department … 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. This week, MPD notified 12 members that their contract would not be renewed due to this law. In addition, the contracts of nine other members were not renewed for a variety of reasons, for a total of 21 members whose employment will end April 30."

The legislation was controversial at the time it was passed. It was one of the D.C. crime bills that congressional Republicans unsuccessfully tried to block.

As for the nine who were terminated for other reasons, MPD won’t give any details on why they were let go.

Of the 21 total officers, three were senior sergeants, while the rest were senior officers. The 21 were assigned to various positions, including as patrol officers and school resource officers.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told News4 on Thursday that she had been unaware of the terminations until News4 began asking about them.

"This is the consequence of a change in the law, and we will look at it more closely to see if we can work — if we think we need to work with the Council to change it," Bowser said.

The terminations come as the District continues to struggle with police staffing amid concerns over violent crime.

The police union put out a statement blasting the legislation that led to these firings and said some of the disciplinary matters occurred more than 20 years ago.

"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," D.C. Police Union Chairman Gregg Pemberton said in the union's statement. "Many of these officers have received commendations for their bravery and service, making this decision even more frustrating."

The union's statement went on to say that union officials hope the D.C. 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."