"Chatting with the Chief"

[valycop]

When I saw that DC Police Chief Charles Ramsey was going to participate in a live chat through the Washington Post I couldn't resist the chance. Many of you know that I am a great admirer of Chief Ramsey and I for one am sorry to see him go, so when you read my comment you'll understand why I wrote what I did.


Friday, Dec. 15, 2 p.m. ET
Talk to the Chief

Chief Charles Ramsey
Metro Police Department
Friday, December 15, 2006; 2:00 PM



Chief Charles Ramsey, who has led the Metro Police Department since 1998, will be online Friday, Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. to take questions and comments about his tenure as D.C.'s top cop.

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Charles Ramsey: One of the things I have enjoyed about being Chief of Police is the ability to interact with so many people ... including through online chats such as this one. This will be my last chat as Chief of the MPD. I look forward to Cathy Lanier serving as Chief and hope that she will enjoy the same support that I have. Now, let's get to some questions....

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Washington, D.C.: How would you suggest further reducing crime when the guardians of many of these kids show no interest in their kids? I am a teacher at an elementary school in the District. The attendance at PTA meetings is low to nonexistent. If these parents show so little interest in their kids schooling, one can reasonably assume they are showing little interest in every facet of that child's life. How can a police chief reasonably address that sort of apathy?

Charles Ramsey: Parental involvement has a huge impact on juvenile crime in our city. The Police Department cannot fix many of the underlying problems that cause crime, but we can certainly continue our efforts to work with at-risk youth in an attempt to get them on a path away from crime. One of the challenges the new Mayor will face, as he attempts to get more involved with our public school system, is to get that support and involvement from parents. Without it, unfortunately, it will continue to be an uphill battle and juvenile crime will remain a serious problem.

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Washington, D.C.: Thanks for taking my comment. I want to first congratulate Chief Charles Ramsey for an excellent job during his tenure as D.C.'s top cop. The numbers speak for themselves. In 1997 (the year before he took over), there were over 300 homicides in the city. As of today, there are 156 homicides. That's almost a 50 percent drop in murders. Also, when considering that D.C.'s population is actually growing, it makes those numbers more compelling. People need to stand up and recognize the great job that Mr. Ramsey has done!

Charles Ramsey: Thank you for your comment. One of the things I'm most proud of has been our ability to reduce crime in the District of Columbia - and it's not just been homicides. Since 1997, our city has experienced a 37 percent reduction in serious crime. There have been reductions in almost every major crime category and in every police district. There is still a lot more to do. In fact, I sincerely believe that homicides in DC could be below 100 a year. But to make that happen will take the collective efforts of police, community, elected leaders, the business community and others.

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Metro Center: Chief: What's your biggest professional regret during your tenure? How about your most proudest achievement?

Charles Ramsey: I don't have any regrets, although there are some things that, in retrospect, could have been handled differently. It hasn't been perfect, but I am very proud of the past eight years - and especially proud of the men and women of the Metropolitan Police Department who have worked so hard to make our streets safer. My proudest achievement is restoring the credibility and respect of the Metropolitan Police Department.

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Winchester, Va.: Chief as a former DC Police Officer I want you to know that you turned that agency around from a disgraced low moral agency to one to be admired. The respect you have brought back to that department makes me wish I had never left (early '80s). I hope your successor is half as good as you were and I wish you nothing, but the very best in any future endeavors.

Best wishes and Happy Holidays,

Former MPDC Officer-2D Headquarters


Charles Ramsey: Thank you very much. Your comment means more to me than perhaps anything else. This is a Department with a rich tradition of service, but which unfortunately had fallen on some hard times. I believe we are on the right track now, and are moving in the right direction. Most importantly, the men and women of our Department, both past and present, can once again feel proud to be a part of the MPD family. I am certain that Cathy Lanier will continue to move the Department forward.

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Washington: What do you think will happen with the D.C. homicide rate going down and PGC's going up (record year in 2005)? How will crime be combated, rather than simply be pushed to a new location?

Charles Ramsey: DC is on pace to have our lowest number of homicides in more than two decades - and the second lowest total since 1966. It's important that everyone in the National Capital Region not see themselves as separate jurisdictions as it relates to crime. Crime is no longer just a problem of the inner-city; it is a regional concern. We must look at the problem from that perspective, and we must continue to forge partnerships to combat crime across jurisdictions.

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Downtown: Chief: What advice do you have to soon-to-be Chief Lanier? What's the top issue that she needs to focus on?

Charles Ramsey: Crime fighting is the Number 1 priority that she must stay focused on. Ultimately, her tenure as Chief of Police will be evaluated on her ability to control and reduce crime. The Department needs to continue to be focused and relentless in its efforts to fight crime and make all of our communities safer. Policing in the Nation's Capital is a very challenging job, and I believe she is up to the challenge. But to be successful, she will need the unwavering support of our new mayor, the members of the Department and the community.

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D.C.: Regardless of Cathy Lanier's qualifications, do you think it wasn't a smart move by Mayor-to-be Fenty not to consult with the FOP or veteran cops when deciding on the new chief?

Charles Ramsey: I don't believe that a mayor should feel obligated to consult with the union before selecting a chief. The primary focus should be on selecting someone who the mayor believes has the ability to move the Department in the right direction, aggressively fighting crime and making our communities safer. I am pleased that Mayor-elect Fenty chose someone from within the Department. The union should rally behind her and provide the support she needs to meet the challenges of leading the MPD and of policing in our Nation's Capital.

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Metro Center: Is it true that D.C. will finally get its own medical examiner for criminal investigations and won't need to rely on the feds anymore? How soon will this be in effect? Do you think this will make MPD's crime-solving rates increase from their currently low levels?

Charles Ramsey: It's not a Medical Examiner, but a crime laboratory that the District is getting. Over the years, the FBI has been tremendous in its support of the MPD and our crime lab needs. But the MPD consistently accounts for about one-third of the FBI's crime lab caseload. It was clear that the District needed its own lab, to speed up the investigation of our crimes, especially those in which DNA evidence may be present. Having our own lab should greatly enhance the crime-solving process. Just as a point of clarification: the MPD's clearance rates for homicide and most other serious crimes are at or above the national average for cities of our size. We can do even better, however, and the new lab will assist us in getting there.

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NW DC: Re: the court case dealing with D.C.'s gun ban, if the court tosses out the D.C. law banning guns, what do you think the effect will be?

Given the large quantities of handguns in D.C. used to commit crimes, it seems to me that the law is useless since it is ignored by criminals. But if law-abiding citizens were able to defend themselves, as per their Constitutional right, criminals may think twice before committing a crime.

What's your view on the gun ban and what would happen if the ban were struck down?

Charles Ramsey: The city of Philadelphia has a concealed carry law, and its homicide rate just surpassed last year's. In fact, a new study shows that Philadelphia has the highest homicide rate among the nation's 10 largest cities. I think that the voters of DC should decide, through their elected officials, what our gun laws should be - not Congress and not the courts. DC should have the same rights as New York, Chicago and any other American state or city where the elected officials from that jurisdiction decide what the gun laws should be, based on the wishes of their constituents. As we have mentioned earlier in this chat, DC's crime rate is the lowest its been in almost four decades. Why would we want to introduce more guns into our streets now?

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Re: D.C. Murder Rate: Given that a significant number of murders in D.C. are committed by acquaintances, how can MPD prevent such crimes?

Also, there was a story a while back about audio technology that allowed police to "hear" where shots were fired and respond quickly. Is that technology having an effect in areas with high rates of gunfire? Are there plans to launch this technology citywide?

Charles Ramsey: Arguments and retaliation are the two leading motives for homicide in DC - and have been for some time. One way to reduce these homicides is to focus on people illegally carrying guns. So far this year, our officers have recovered nearly 2,600 firearms, a substantial increase over the last few years. I strongly believe that this helps to reduce homicide. The "audio technology" you are referring to is called Shot Spotter. It's already proven to be effective in the locations where it has been deployed. Two months ago, Shot Spotter alerted officers to shots fired on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE. Officers found a man who had been shot multiple times and later died of his injuries. But as a result of their quick response, the suspect was quickly apprehended two blocks away from the scene. Shot Spotter alerted police five minutes before the first call came into the police. That time was the difference between solving a random and brutal crime and having the suspect still at large, and able to possibly kill again. We are working now toward expanding this technology to other parts of the District.

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Capitol Hill: Chief, thanks for taking questions here today.

Has anyone else, aside from residents, noticed a shift in crime activity since the new cameras have been installed around the city? It seems they are less of a way to deter the activity and more of a way to shift it. Wouldn't it make sense to have more patrols in the areas surrounding these cameras where some of this criminal activity appears to be shifting to.

Charles Ramsey: We are certainly aware of the displacement of crime that can occur when we install Closed Circuit Television cameras in a "hot spot" location. Each Police Service Area that has a CCTV camera is required to develop a plan that deals specifically with the problem of displacement. I think the cameras are a useful crime-fighting tool. They help deter crime, and they provide useful evidence if a crime does occur. And keep in mind that the cameras are meant to augment our neighborhood patrols, not replace them.

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D.C.: Would you recommend your successor get more beat cops on the street? That is, get them out of their cruisers and walking around in the neighborhoods? This seems to have worked in my NYC neighborhood.

Charles Ramsey: Over the past few years, we have made great strides in getting more officers out on the street, and I'm sure that push will continue under the new Chief. I believe there needs to be a healthy combination of motorized, bicycle, foot and mounted patrols - depending on the type of problem and the area to be patrolled. It's important to remember that criminals are highly mobile, and too many officers on foot would greatly hamper our ability to respond to crime in a timely fashion. We must be careful to make sure that the tactics we use - such as foot patrol - are appropriate for the problems we are trying to solve. And if I can put in a recruiting plug: the MPD has grown to 3,800 officers and we are continuing to grow. One of the key elements of New York's success in driving down the crime rate was the number of police officers they had - some 40,000 at the time. This gave them the flexibility to deploy officers in a varity of ways. We can do the same here, if we have an adequate number of officers. So if anyone is thinking about a career in law enforcement, they should certainly consider the MPD. Check out our website for details (www.mpdc.dc.gov).

Okay boys and girls, the Chief is plugging his soon to be former agency as a good place to work so for those of you looking for a job in law enforcement this is a good agency to start with.

Happy Holidays-

[TXCharlie]

What's your view on the gun ban and what would happen if the ban were struck down?

Charles Ramsey: The city of Philadelphia has a concealed carry law, and its homicide rate just surpassed last year's. In fact, a new study shows that Philadelphia has the highest homicide rate among the nation's 10 largest cities. I think that the voters of DC should decide, through their elected officials, what our gun laws should be - not Congress and not the courts. DC should have the same rights as New York, Chicago and any other American state or city where the elected officials from that jurisdiction decide what the gun laws should be, based on the wishes of their constituents. As we have mentioned earlier in this chat, DC's crime rate is the lowest its been in almost four decades. Why would we want to introduce more guns into our streets now?

Sorry, this guy is the enemy - The murder rate per 100k people in Philadelphia only increased from 22 to 26 in 5 years by my calculations (counts went from 225 to 263). How many of these were CHL holders committing those murders?

And since when should voters decide which portion of the Constitution to ignore? :mad: :mad:

[RO56]

I hope your successor is half as good as you were and I wish you nothing

Gee, why did you have to go and say THAT? Hahaha! :D

Seriously ... nice comment.

[RO56]

Charles Ramsey: Why would we want to introduce more guns into our streets now?

Perhaps because "an armed society is a polite society?" ;)

[TXCharlie]

One thing I also forgot to add... In Philadelphia, do they really have a "shall issue" CHL law? - From what I read, the Police Chief can refuse the permit unless the person has a good reason for needing one.

That means the CHL law is worthless unless the Chief is CHL-friendly.

[valycop]

Well, I never said he was perfect, but he's the best Chief that DC has had in a long, long time. Remember one thing about Ramsey and this is from my view from 100 miles away, when it hit the fan Ramsey was right in there with his guys.

[TXCharlie]

Well, I never said he was perfect, but he's the best Chief that DC has had in a long, long time. Remember one thing about Ramsey and this is from my view from 100 miles away, when it hit the fan Ramsey was right in there with his guys.

That's probably true, it just really ticks me off to hear such ignorance pouring from the mouth of an otherwise respectable person - It takes the shine off of everything good that he's done.