Gray Public Safety Final

8/8/2019 Gray Public Safety Final

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KEEPINGOUR CITIZENS & COMMUNITIES SAFEVINCE GRAYS PLANFOR PUBLIC SAFETYINTHE NATIONS CAPITAL

OVERVIEW

Vince Gray knows that you cant talk about giving our kids a world-classeducation or attracting businesses and creating jobs, without discussing theimperative of creating safe communities.

The first responsibility of government is to ensure the safety and well-beingof the people it serves. Vince Gray knows that Washingtonians have publicsafety services that are not on par with the surrounding jurisdictions or thenation as a whole. The quality of public safety services varies by ward andneighborhood even by street. Too many children and families are beingvictimized by violent crime for no other reason than they live in a dangerousneighborhood.

While we have made some progress in the past 10 years in some areas ofpublic safety, progress in other areas has remained stagnant or hasatrophied. We can and should do more to make our city safer and betterprepared to handle emergencies when they arise. Vince Gray knows thatuntil our law enforcement officers start getting the support they need fromthe Mayors office, their jobs will continue to be that much harder and moredangerous than they should be, and too many people will be victimized bycrime. And he also understands that until we start doing more to deal withthe root causes of crime on the frontend, well never end this vicious circle ofviolence.

Vince Gray isnt interested in platitudes or stale, worn-out approaches tothese matters. He will employ well-defined strategies that center oncommunity involvement, sustainability, focused leadership, respect,proactive and proper resourcing, and consistent execution. He will repairdamaged relationships with our front-line public safety workers. He willharness the energy of community activism. He will establish focusedleadership in public safety, give this critical issue a real voice, and educateall on this vision.

Similar to all areas of government, a significant challenge for these initiatives

involves proper funding for sustainable strategies. A Gray Administration willeffectuate changes that leverage available funding resources such as grants andfederal partnerships and hold agency directors accountable to stay within budget.

The absence of high-level public safety leadership has allowed certain agencies toengage in unchecked overspending. Throughout the Fenty Administration,overspending within FEMS overtime alone has regularly exceeded $7 million peryear. Seizing control of this rampant overspending will serve as a source of fundingfor sustainable improvement strategies.


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Vince Grays plan for public safety is based on five core principles gearedtoward making sure that people are safe and feel safe regardless ofwhere they live, work, or play.

1. We must restore coordination and accountability in theDistricts public safety efforts. With all of the different federal andcity agencies involved in the Districts public safety efforts, we need asingle point person to help coordinate all of their efforts. Byreestablishing the position of Deputy Mayor for Public Safety andJustice, the District will have a single, senior point of coordination andaccountability for the multitude of city services that must worktogether to ensure the publics safety and sense of safety.

2. We must end youth violence and reduce juvenile crime. Itstime we overhaul our hugely dysfunctional juvenile justice and

rehabilitation system so that the citys youths are less likely to engagein criminal activity and more likely to receive the treatment and wrap-around services they need if they do come in contact with the juvenilejustice system.

3. We must make sure that we bring strategic change to theMetropolitan Police Department. Its time the District stoppedpaying lip service to the concept of community policing, and tookconcrete steps to build permanent working relationships with policeofficers and the communities they serve. We need to make theMetropolitan Police Department (MPD) the agency it should be, through

a variety of initiatives that will improve crime-fighting strategies,attract high-caliber candidates, reward hard-working officers, andimprove retention.

4. We must crack down on violent offenders, while creating realopportunities for rehabilitation. Vince knows that too many of thecriminals we see in the criminal justice system have been arrestedbefore. Recidivism is as much a symptom of the failure of ourrehabilitation and re-entry systems as it is a function of a system thatfails to produce a certainty of punishment. As Mayor, Vince Gray willexplore ways to toughen our criminal code so that people know that

theyll spend hard time in prison if theyre convicted of violent crimes.He will also work to improve our offender re-entry system so thatpeople who are coming back into society after being incarceratedstand a better chance at successfully reintegrating themselves withcivil society. Returning citizens want and need jobs and we shouldhelp them achieve that goal.

5. We must reinvigorate stalled reform of our emergency medical

Keeping our Citizens and Communities SafeVince Grays Plan for Public Safety in the Nations Capital, Page 2


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services system, and ensure world-class agency operations.Efforts to improve delivery of emergency medical services wereinitiated after the 2007 release of Task Force recommendations, butseveral recommendations continue to lag and reform efforts have beenstalled. As several recent public failures illustrate, we must commit to

reform of EMS service delivery in order to ensure world-class pre-hospital care. The current administration has stalled these efforts.Vince Gray will ensure that continuous improvement of these servicesbecomes a reality.

CREATING COORDINATIONAND ACCOUNTABILITYIN PUBLIC SAFETYEFFORTSThere are a lot of moving pieces in the Districts public safety and justicesystem. In addition to the Metropolitan Police Department, over 30 legallyconstituted police forces operate in the city. The federal governmentoversees major components of the Districts justice system, including thecitys courts, the prosecutors office, the Bureau of Prisons, Court SocialServices, and the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency, which isresponsible for adult offender supervision. The District of Columbia isresponsible for the D.C. Jail, which houses offenders with sentences of lessthan one year, and the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS),which serves committed youth. Other District public safety agencies includethe Fire and EMS Department, the Homeland Security and EmergencyManagement Agency, and the Office of Unified Communications. This is adifficult landscape in which to ensure service delivery and effect change.

Planning, communication, and cooperation among these entities have provensorely inadequate.

For four years, there has been no single, senior point of authority oraccountability in the District Government for ensuring that public safetyservices and initiatives are planned and delivered in a coordinated fashion.And too often, our public safety agencies lack transparency and soundmanagement, which leaves District residents without sufficient informationto have real trust in the system. Without coordination and accountability,fingers get pointed, excuses get made, and the public suffers. Vince Graywill restore that coordination and accountability by appointing a Deputy

Mayor for Public Safety and Justice, thus reestablishing the this importantrole.

The Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice will bring focus to combatingcrime and increasing the publics safety and wellbeing. The Deputy Mayorwill coordinate all of the Districts public safety agencies; developcomprehensive public safety objectives; establish collaborative relationshipswith partner public safety agencies, neighboring jurisdictions, community



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groups, and the public; and serve as a senior-level point of authority. VinceGray will establish a holistic public safety strategy, not wasteful and sporadicefforts to quell public outrage. Unconstitutional checkpoints, legally andpractically suspect anti-loitering laws, dismissal of public involvement,disregard for front-line public safety employees, and deficient

implementation will no longer be relied upon for results. District residentsdeserve results based on tangible strategies, not shifting national trends.

As Mayor, Vince Gray will:

Re-establish the position of Deputy Mayor for Public Safety andJustice. Vince Gray knows how critical it is that there is someone at the topwho has the experience to lead a complex public safety system, reducefragmentation and parochialism through coordination and collaboration, andensure that the public safety services of the Nations Capital are second tonone. As Mayor, Vince Gray will re-establish the position of Deputy Mayor

for Public Safety and Justice and will appoint a recognized expert to thatposition to ensure comprehensive leadership and forge collaborationbetween all the Districts public safety agencies, Federal partners,Jurisdictional partners, and critical social services.

Focus on bias-related crime prevention. Crime and violence thattargets individuals based on immutable traits is too prevalent in the District.Bias-related crimes have not received enough attention or resources underthe current Administration. Vince Grays Deputy Mayor for Public Safety andJustice will serve as the leader on this issue, prioritize bias-related crimereporting, and unite resources to develop relationships with community

leaders and provide services to victims and community groups. Vince Graywill:

Dedicate additional resources to the Metropolitan Police Departmentsliaison units. Bias-related crimes are more than just violations of thelaw; they operate as messages of hate and intolerance directed at anentire community. For that reason, a Vince Gray Administration willfocus on sending a strong and swift message back that the District as acommunity will not tolerate this hate. This means additional trainingfor all MPD officers to identify and report bias-related crimes, involvingcommunity groups to encourage better reporting and fosterrelationships with the public, dedicated command officers for each

liaison unit, and collaboration with the prosecution in order tomaximize convictions.

Maintain accurate records. The District is currently plagued with theproblem of shoddy record-keeping in certain city agencies. Over the pastseveral years, the Office of the Inspector General has released reports thatchronicle a lack of appropriate care and attention with regard to reports of



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missing children and adults in need of care. It is unacceptable that suchreports have been carelessly left on office floors and in piles in warehouses.Our city residents deserve better. As Mayor, Vince Gray will task the DeputyMayor with overseeing vital record-keeping functions, as well as ensuringthat crime statistics and other performance measures are accurately

reported.

Develop an inter-agency approach to crime prevention. The DeputyMayor will be responsible for exercising the power of the Executive Branch toforge meaningful cooperative arrangements between the police departmentand other city agencies and non-governmental organizations that have thecapacity to eliminate the conditions that breed crime and detract from publicsafety. The Deputy Mayor also will work with surrounding jurisdictions andeffectuate and implement border agreements to stem cross-jurisdictionalcrime.

Improve the operation of public safety grants programs. We need todo a better job of monitoring grant money that is available and of submitting

sophisticated grant applications so the citys residents can benefit from theresources available. As Mayor, Vince Gray will direct his Deputy Mayor todevelop a dashboard system to track key performance metrics related togrant opportunities. This dashboard will also allow the public to know aboutthe financial status of federal grants programs. This sort of accountability isexactly whats needed to ensure that we dont have to return grants dollarsto the federal government.

Taking politics out of public safety. Too often under the current

Administration, weve seen public safety decisions made based on politicalmotives. The Trinidad roadblock initiative is a perfect example. Followingsome high-profile shootings, the police department, under pressure from theMayor and Attorney General Peter Nickles, implemented a system ofroadblocks to prevent people who didnt have a good reason from drivinginto the Trinidad neighborhood. You dont need a law degree to know thatthe Mayors program was clearly unconstitutional, and the U.S. Court ofAppeals for the D.C. Circuit said so in no uncertain terms. In the GrayAdministration, all public safety decisions will be based on public safetyneeds not newspaper headlines. As Mayor, Vince Gray will ensure that thestaffing and deployment of public safety resources is aligned with need and

is not based on politics. Additionally, the Deputy Mayor will ensure thatstrategies and tactics to address persistent issues are long-term and theproduct of deliberate planning and community involvement, not short-termploys and gimmicks.

ENDING YOUTH VIOLENCEAND REDUCING JUVENILE CRIME



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The involvement of juveniles in violent crime is a grave concern to theresidents across the District of Columbia. While juvenile arrests comprisedonly 8% of all arrests in the District of Columbia in FY 2009, juvenilesaccounted for over one third of all arrests for violent crimes (homicide, rape,robbery, and aggravated assault). Youth violence, and especially youth

homicide, is simply unacceptable in the nations capital. Our system ofjuvenile justice is dysfunctional. Services are stove-piped, coordinationbetween local and federal agencies is poor, critical information is withheldfrom those in the best position to help, and meaningful services are oftenpoorly coordinated. Vince Gray will work to develop a juvenile justice andyouth development strategy that balances enforcement, intervention,prevention and care, and treatment.

As Mayor, Vince Gray will continue to move juvenile justice reform forward inthe District, while strengthening the law enforcement, court system, juvenilejustice, and community-based organization partnerships that are the key to

targeting those youth most at-risk of committing or being a victim of crimeor violence. Vince Gray will draw on his experiences as Executive Director ofCovenant House where he worked every day with youth who, despite thechallenges of poverty, father absence, poor schools and lack of resources,showed great resiliency and went on to lead successful lives.


Implement the recommendations of the 2009 Blueprint forcombating youth violence. In 2009, under Vince Grays leadership, theD.C. Council commissioned Responding to Gang, Crew and Youth Violence in

the District of Columbia: A Blueprint for Action. The Blueprint provides auseful framework for developing a comprehensive, community-basedstrategy to prevent youth involvement in violence, and address its rootcauses. Tragically, the current mayor has ignored the report and continuesto make policy decisions that are contrary to its recommendations. AsMayor, Vince Gray will continue to move forward with implementing therecommendations of the Blueprint, guided by the following principles thatframe the report:

Violence is preventable and prevention must be sustained by thedevelopment of strong communities;

Youth violence reflects broader family, community, social, and cultural

dynamics requiring comprehensive long term and sustained responses. Youth violence prevention and positive youth development requires a

strong partnership between public and private agencies and youngpeople themselves.

Use data to shape efforts to reduce youth violence and juvenilecrime. When data are collected fully and impartially, the solutions often



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begin to present themselves. Vince Gray will make sure that hisAdministrations approach to juvenile justice reform in the District continuesto be data-driven. We need to know how many youth, on any given day, arenot in school, or otherwise are not where they are supposed to be. AsMayor, Vince Gray will listen to the community to help determine where the

needs are most acute, and will develop policies that respond strategically towhat the data show, and what the people who are most directly affected byyouth violence and juvenile crime families, teachers, coaches, ministers,and mentors have to say about the best solution.

Assure that MPD partners with the community to respond to criticalincidents of youth- related violence. The nationally recognized GangIntervention Partnership that until recently served Ward One, and theprograms funded under the Citywide Coordinating Council for Youth ViolencePrevention have proven to assist with case closure and contribute tobreaking the cycles of violence, prevent retribution crimes, and increase

public safety. As Mayor, Vince Gray will ensure that the MPD implementsthese models citywide.

Assure safe passages for our youth so that they can go to schooland recreation centers without fear of violence. Many youth dontattend school or take advantage of the recreational resources in theirneighborhoods because they need to cross over crew and gang boundariesto do so. As Mayor, Vince Gray will task the Deputy Mayor to work with MPDto identify those DCPS and Charter middle schools, high schools, andrecreation centers most at risk of youth violence in or near these facilities.Site-specific safety plans will be developed within six months by joint MPD,

school personnel, recreation center staff and community-basedorganizations. These stakeholders will identify crew affiliations and conflictsand address how to assure safe passages and provide a coordinatedresponse to conflicts.

Facilitate inter-agency information sharing. There must beinformation sharing,concerning young people who are supposed to bereceiving services from social service agencies in the District, but are at-riskof falling through the holes in the safety net. Too often our juvenileconfidentiality laws have been used to conceal the ineptitude of agencyofficials in the name of juvenile confidentiality. Of course, confidential

information about a child should be handled with care and never abused but there are times when public safety is at risk, or the safety of the youngperson, him or herself, is at-risk, when people need to know what agenciesthey can appeal to for help and hold accountable for their actions. As Mayor,Vince Gray will work to make sure our juvenile confidentiality laws balancethe interests of public safety with the best interests of the young people.



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Implement a carrot-and-stick approach. Law enforcement agenciesmust work in partnership with the Districts community-based organizations,churches, social service organizations, schools, sports teams or otherneighborhood associations in order to have an impact on youth violence andjuvenile crime. The City of Boston is widely recognized for its novel and

successful approach to quelling youth violence. The key to Bostonssuccessful youth violence prevention initiative was collaborationamong lawenforcement, social service, and community-based organizations. Thiscollaboration allowed Boston to provide positive, meaningful, structuredopportunities to young people on the one hand, with the threat of strictenforcement of local and federal gun laws and zero tolerance for violence onthe other. As Mayor, Vince Gray will draw from Bostons experience and hisexperience on the Council of the District of Columbia in spearheading ajuvenile violence prevention initiative to improve juvenile justice approacheshere.

Hold the Department of Youth Rehabilitative Services responsiblefor better outcomes for youth under its custody. The reform efforts ofthe past five years have led to closing the outdated and inhumane Oak HillDetention Center and replacing it with a smaller state-of-the-art facility, NewBeginnings, and new community-based partnerships to serve returningyouth. While recidivism rates have been going down, a number of recenttragedies have shown the price of failure. Troubled youth are often placed inthe community without adequate supervision or the support necessary tosucceed and stay out of trouble. Too often, these youth end up being killedor charged with murder. The Districts Department of Youth RehabilitationServices must be held to the highest standards of accountability for youths

committed to its custody and supervision. Currently, New Beginnings isunderstaffed and over capacity. As Mayor, Vince Gray will ensure that anassessment process is implemented by recognized leaders to addressovercrowding, determine appropriate capacities, including proper staffing atNew Beginnings, and will implement the recommendations that stem fromthe assessment.

Assess services necessary for at-risk youth. Through his earlier careerrunning the Department of Human Services and Covenant House, Vince Grayunderstands that children who are raised in households in which familyviolence and substance abuse occurs, or in which one or more family

member is incarcerated, face staggering obstacles in their lives. However,every dollar spent at the front-end of the system (programs and servicesfor at-risk youths) will save tens of thousands of dollars spent at the backend (court costs and incarceration). Our current juvenile justice strategyis lacking in ways that continue to force troubled youth into gangs and to usedrugs, ultimately, keeping them in the revolving door of incarceration.There must be strong community partnerships between the police and DYRS,



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as well as other agency and court officials, in the communities. Vince Graywill listen, and require his agency heads to listen to what the people who aremost directly affected by youth violence and juvenile crime families,teachers, coaches, ministers, and mentors, and the youth themselves haveto say about the best solution. As Mayor, Vince Gray will continue to move

juvenile justice reform forward in the District, while strengthening the lawenforcement, court system, juvenile justice and community-basedorganization (CBO) partnerships that are key to targeting those youth mostat-risk of committing or being a victim of crime or violence. As Mayor, Vincewill also convene a team of advisors to assess the needs of at-risk youth inthe District to determine how best to coordinate the services for thispopulation.

Provide meaningful vocational and technical training in theDistricts corrections system. Because the District houses onlymisdemeanants and those held pending trial or transfer to another penal

institution, inmate training and education in the D.C. jail have been sorelyneglected. Vince Grays Administration will not make this mistake. TheWilliams Administration successfully innovated improvement of healthcare inthe D.C. jail by ensuring that healthcare in the jail and in the community wasconnected seamlessly. This fostered better quality and an improvedcontinuum of care for people stuck in a cycle of being in and out of jail. AsMayor, Vince Gray will use a similar approach to connect vocational trainingprograms between inside and outside of the D.C. Jail to ensure that peopleare given a means to escape the revolving door of recidivism.

Strengthen relationships with DC Superior Court and Court Social

Services. On any given day, over two-thirds of the youth involved in thejuvenile justice system are being served by the federally funded andcontrolled Court Social Services (CSS). This agency is responsible for over1,700 youth annually who are placed on probation under court supervision orsecurely detained at the Youth Services Center pre-adjudication. Too often,the poor flow of information between CSS, MPD, DYRS, and communityorganizations allows for youth to fall between the cracks and to engage infurther criminal behavior. As Mayor, Vince Gray will direct the Districts toengage the D.C. Superior Court and Court Social Services and develop newinformation sharing and collaborative work protocols.

ELEVATE COMMUNITYPOLICING PRIORITIESMetropolitan Police Department officers should be a part of this city and itsneighborhoods. Instead of merely talking about community policing, MayorGray will take concrete steps to build permanent working relationships withpolice officers and the communities they serve. Vince will help make MPDthe agency it should be, through a variety of initiatives that will improve



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crime-fighting strategies, attract high-caliber candidates, reward hard-working officers, and improve retention.

Vince will eliminate the Districts dependency on arrests as the solution tocrime. The cornerstone to a successful anti-crime strategy involves

education, community policing, consistent enforcement, social services, andthe certainty of punishment.

The Department must address deployment and resource issues so thatofficers on patrol have the tools to be effective and efficient and are visibleto the community. Under Vince Grays leadership, the District will developlong-term solutions to its recruitment and retention of officers so that therewill be a sufficient number of officers to patrol effectively.

District residents and business owners want a police department that isengaged in their daily lives. Vince Gray will set the tone that community

policing doesnt mean driving through a neighborhood with the windowsrolled up it means having police officers weave themselves into the fabricof the community through long-term involvement in the community.Providing increased incentives for community-police interaction, andpromoting a commitment to the community in which the officer serves, willbe an important part of building a patrol-based, community-oriented policeforce.


Redefine Community Policing.

The community policing strategy that our city has pursued to date hasplaced undue emphasis on increased visibility, but much of the visibility hasbeen superficial. We cannot be satisfied with gimmicky efforts to increasevisibility, such as flashing police car lights. Criminals know that all they haveto do is wait out the show of force so they can get back to their work. Truecommunity policing requires that police and all members of the communitywork together, on a deep level, to reduce crime.

The Gray Administration would implement a number of initiatives to developthe kind of community policing we need in the District of Columbia:

Vince Gray will ensure that those police officers who are currently serving inassignments that can be effectively transitioned to civilian responsibility arereassigned to patrol assignments. Currently, more than 200 police officersare serving in administrative assignments that can be handled by civilianemployees. By backfilling many of these positions with civilian employees,more officers will be available for community policing patrol duties.



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Develop Home Grown Public Safety Employees and increase thenumber of police officers living in the District of Columbia. TheDistrict benefits when its public safety employees are District residents.Having our public safety workforce personally vested in the District will fostercommunity relationships, enable true community policing, improve retention

rates, keep taxpayer dollars home, and improve the standard of living for all.Unfortunately, currently only 19% of the Districts police officers live in thecity. Thats way too low. Getting police officers to live in the Districtimproves public safety at the same time that it creates economic benefits forthe City. But we cant mandate that police officers live in the District doingso has to be attractive and affordable to our officers so they choose theDistrict over other places. As Mayor, Vince Gray will work to increase thenumber of police officers living in the District by the end of his first term. Hewill develop workforce housing initiatives which will induce police officers tomove into the District. Hell explore the wide range of options, including taxbreaks and housing subsidies. And he will establish and promote cadet

programs that are based on educational partnerships that create a careerpath for our young people to enter public safety services.

Stabilize the Public Safety Employees Workforce. The city spendsmillions of dollars on the recruiting and training public safety employees onlyto lose many of these employees to neighboring jurisdictions. This is theresult of many factors such as a failure to adopt shift schedules that appealto more workers and lack of competitive pay and benefits as compared tonearby jurisdictions. As Mayor, Vince Gray will task the Deputy Mayor withevaluating the problem of poor retention and developing better tools forretaining all of our public safety workforce (police, firefighters, paramedics,

etc.).

Create a meaningful career advancement ladder for officers whowish to stay in patrol duties. Police officers begin their careers in patrol,and many remain in patrol a long time. However, personal aspirations or theneed to earn more money can create an incentive for patrol officers to seekpromotion or move to a specialized assignment, meaning that too oftencommunities lose excellent community police officers. As Mayor, Vince Graywill initiate programs and policies to encourage police officers to remain aspatrol officers and become a permanent part of the neighborhoods theyserve. Recognizing that police officers do have career considerations and

decisions to make, Vince will work to create a new career path in theDepartment based on community service and interaction. These policies andprograms will not only develop better community relations, but will helpincrease police presence. As Mayor, Vince Gray will:

Provide pay incentives for officers who choose to remain in patrol;and live within the District of Columbia;



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Provide housing incentives for patrol officers that will allow them tolive and work in the same patrol service area; and

Create new incentives for residential development projects toinclude workforce housing for police officers.

Elevate the importance of community outreach positions at MPD. Acentral point of contact for both police officers and civilians must beestablished in each police district. This individual will be a police captainwho will be accountable to the community and to the Department fordesigning, implementing, and administering police services for thecommunity. The Department will delegate substantial authority to thedistricts, based on the recognition that different areas of the city havedifferent needs. This individual will be responsible for interactions withresidents, activists, Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, youth groups,faith-based organizations, grass-roots advocacy groups, non-profits,business, and city agencies other than MPD. Whereas in the past,

community outreach positions were given to lower-level supervisors, underVince Grays leadership, being an effective community services official willbe viewed as a prestigious position, and community service skills will be arequirement for career advancement. As Mayor, Vince Gray will direct theMPD to appoint this type of high-level point of contact in each community.

Create the One City Forward Initiative.This initiative will take off whereMayor Williams Neighborhood Action initiative left off by bringing togetherpolice and fire/EMS with front line workers from other agencies to remediatepersistent problem areas. Many issues in neighborhoods cannot be solvedby any one agency and coordinated approaches are necessary to address

intractable problems. As Mayor, Vince Gray will create and launchCommunity and Police Neighborhood Problem Solving Meetings that willinvolve Community residents and neighborhood police officers indetermining the policing priorities for local neighborhoods. These meetingswill focus on using citizen input to develop specific strategies to address theneighborhood crime concerns and order maintenance concerns identified byresidents and involve community members, neighborhood services staffmembers and community police officers to effectively address the specificcrime and order maintenance problems in the community with specificaction plans. The neighborhood action plans will be folded into theNeighborhood Services program as part of the One City Forward initiative.

Neighborhood Services staff will engage residents in neighborhoods todetermine needs and opportunities in planning exercises and in creatingneighborhood service action plans. Neighborhood Service plans will fold intoa citywide citizen summit that will provide a public voice in determininggovernment priorities then tailored to specific communities andneighborhoods.



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Provide the community with transparency regarding deployment. Ifwe are truly to engage the community in keeping neighborhoods safe, thereneeds to be a level of transparency greater than what were seeing now. AsMayor, Vince Gray will make sure that MPD openly discusses its deploymentdecisions and strategies with neighborhood and community groups in order

to address deficiencies and avoid complaints and misunderstandings (whensuch discussion will not jeopardize ongoing investigations). MPD will notengage in tactics such as the now-infamous quarantine of the Trinidadneighborhood without significant engagement with the community and theDistrict will not violate the Constitution in any of its crime fighting strategies.

Encourage community participation in crime-solving. In some areas ofthe city, residents reluctance to cooperate with the police facilitates criminalactivity. With true community policing that develops real relationships in theneighborhoods, we can begin to address this problem. This requires anunderstanding, however, that community policing is more than the MPD

simply sending an officer once a month to recite crime statistics at acommunity meeting. True community policing means institutionalizing aphilosophy that is incorporated throughout the Agency, recognizing that allaspects of police operations must understand that the community is thecritical partner of police operations. All aspects of the police agency mustwork with the community to identify and address the crime and disorderissues that are found in different communities throughout the District ofColumbia. This approach focuses on a full community policing approach thatincorporates problem solving, visibility, community involvement, communitytrust and respect and crime reduction. Having officers continuallyinteracting with the community to devise order maintenance and crime

control strategies that are based on and leverage the communitys deepinvolvement in addressing root causes of crime and disorder. As Mayor,Vince Gray will ensure that the city does a better job of (i) educating thepublic on the importance of their assistance; (ii) ensuring that informationlines are properly staffed and that the representatives receiving informationare professional and supportive; and (iii) widely publicizing successes,thereby demonstrating the effectiveness of police-community cooperation.As Mayor, Vince Gray and the Chief of Police wont just be in neighborhoodsfor photo opportunities and sound bites at the scene of major crimes, butrather for sustained, meaningful involvement with the community.

Create an emphasis on controlling vehicle theft. Auto theft is acommunity issue. It creates a sense of disorder in communities, and it mostadversely affects our poorest citizens. When someones car is stolen, itbecomes more difficult (or even impossible) to get to work. The District ofColumbia has the highest auto theft rate in the region. The current Mayorhas systematically disassembled the MPDs auto theft units and has failed toappoint a Council-mandated and funded Vehicle Theft Prevention



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Commission. Vince Gray knows that auto theft is a gateway crime, andthat addressing auto theft pays dividends because people involved in autotheft are often involved in other crimes. As Mayor, Vince Gray will resurrectthe Washington Area Vehicle Enforcement (WAVE) team, a cross-jurisdictional initiative to combat vehicle theft. He will ensure that

detectives with a passion for working on auto theft cases are assigned to theauto theft squad. And, he will appoint members of the Vehicle TheftPrevention Commission something the current Mayor has steadfastlyrefused to do so that this serious crime will have a voice with high-levelpolicymakers.

Increase Transparency and Greater Public Oversight of PoliceOperations.Real community policing depends on trust between the community and thepolice department. Transparency, accountability, and oversight ofDepartment matters, including accurate reporting of staffing and resource

allocation are necessary to build trust. Unfortunately, Mayor Fentys war ontransparency has at times spilled over into the MPD, casting a shadow overthe hard work of our front-line officers, and straining the relationshipbetween the community and MPD. As Mayor, Vince Gray will work toincrease transparency and accountability at MPD.

Improve and Professionalize Investigations.The closure of a case is based on teamwork. To improve the process, allparties the police, prosecutors, investigators, and forensic technicians must work as a team. Under a Gray Administration, greater efforts will be

made to ensure that all parties in an investigation will understand their roles,and receive support in order to close cases. As Mayor, Vince Gray will:ensure that the Police Department provides forensic technicians with theresources to effectively analyze and evaluate forensic evidence and ensurethat processing meets forensic industry standards. These efforts willproduce increased investigative leads resulting in investigations beingclosed in a more timely manner. These efforts will also lead to improvedcase coordination, information sharing and increased prosecution of criminaloffenders.

End redeployment of all investigative personnel. Currently, the

Department regularly redeploys investigators and other non-patrolpersonnel to patrol duties in an effort to bolster its patrol presence. Whilethis may seem like a good idea, what it really means is that the continuityand currency of investigations suffers greatly for a short-term increase in thevisibility of uniformed personnel. As Mayor, Vince Gray will end the practiceof redeploying detectives and other investigative personnel and support



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staff, enabling them to devote their full attention to investigating and closingcases.

Make sure detectives have manageable caseloads. The number ofcaseloads assigned to a detective should be based upon the type of cases

the detective or investigator is working and should take into account thecomplexity of cases in general or any particular case. For example, aburglary detective typically should have more cases than a homicidedetective, but a complex burglary ring case could consume enormousresources and require adjustment to the normally expected caseloads. AsMayor, Vince Gray will work with the police chief to develop fair guidelinesfor setting maximum caseloads.

Track the progress of a case from arrest until final disposition. Usingonly arrests as a metric does not make sense and contributes to a lack offollow-up within the Department. The executive, the legislature, and the

public need to know how and if the criminal justice system is working, and ifnot, why. The components of the system, the police, prosecutors, andjudges, need to be monitored and held accountable if they fail, individually orsystemically, to uphold their roles. As Mayor, Vince Gray will open up thecriminal justice system to continuous examination and create anenvironment of professional and individual responsibility for police officers,prosecutors, and judges. By using existing databases to track and documentthe status of each case throughout the process, from charging to finaldisposition; the effectiveness of the judicial system will be more open toreview and evaluation. This will allow for the Mayor to monitor not only thesystem and its components, but also the effectiveness of each criminal

statute.

Support Strategies for Professionalizing the Workforce andImproving Retention.As Mayor, Vince Gray will:

Refocus on training standards. While our police officers are among themost dedicated public servants in the District, we need to ensure that theirtraining and education is an ongoing process. As Mayor, Vince Gray willrequire the Department to design and implement new training, mentoring,

and education standards for all newly promoted officials, including, but notlimited to:

Creation of training for sergeants, lieutenants, and captains positionsthat would be responsible for guiding people newly promoted intothose ranks through the actual practical application of duties andresponsibilities of those positions;

Specific written descriptions of duties and responsibilities; and



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Specific training and vocational goals and standards.

Expand educational opportunities for officers. Education, and accessto education, will become a fundamental part of the District's employmentculture. As Mayor, Vince Gray will:

Work with the Department to expand its tuition reimbursementprogram and create tuition incentives for incoming and currentofficers. The Department would not only have the benefit of themembers services while they were in school, but would also have thebenefits of that officers education after graduation. Such incentiveswould create an environment where education was valued and sought.In addition, it would build a Department and a culture that createdlong-lasting loyalties and commitment by its members.

Reach out to area colleges and universities to build partnerships and tohelp reduce tuition for government employees. Prior to the Fentyadministration, the Police Officers Standards and Training Board

(POST) and the police union had begun working with the Consortium ofUniversities to negotiate special reduced tuition rates for policeofficers with District of Columbia universities. Those efforts did notreach fruition due to the Mayor Fenty's failure to appoint members tothe POST, despite statutory requirements that he do so. Vince Graywould resurrect those efforts and find a way to increase the educationand skills of government employees at reduced costs.

CRACKDOWNON VIOLENTOFFENDERS AND CREATE MEANINGFUL

REHABILITATION OPPORTUNITIESWe need to find a way to ensure that the next generation of Washingtonianshas an opportunity to grow up without being victimized or initiated into aculture of violence. They deserve an opportunity for schools and socialprograms to make a positive impact on their lives, so it is important thatthey be able to live and play safely without the fear of gun violence. Gettingtough on violent offenders is an important part of establishing that sense ofsecurity, but it needs to be coupled with an ability to rehabilitate and rebuildthe lives of offenders who truly want to change their lives.

As Mayor, Vince Gray will

Establish and manage a permanent gun task force. One of VinceGrays top priorities in public safety is addressing the scourge of guns in theDistrict, and bringing all of the governments resources together tocomprehensively address the Districts problem with gun violence. AsMayor, Vince Gray will task the Deputy Mayor with presiding over a monthlygun task force with participation from key figures in the community. Thiscaucus will pull together representatives from the entire continuum education, job training, employment opportunities, social services, police,



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prosecutors, parole and probation, and incarceration into one functioningbody the sole purpose of which will be to stem gun violence. The agenda forthese meetings will be informed by public comments from private citizens,Advisory Neighborhood Commissions, and public safety organizations. Crimerates, inmate population, ex-offender employment, jobs, education these

issues will all have one voice. Gun violence will no longer be tolerated andignored.

Rehabilitation and Reentry Programs that Work.Over 50,000 current residents of the District have been involved with thecriminal justice system. Assisting these offenders in successful reintegrationinto our neighborhoods is more than smart it is essential if we expect ex-offenders to become productive, law-abiding members of our community.Our city has an outstanding pretrial services program in the countryoperated by the federal government. However, there is not an equivalent,

intensive program for those who have been convicted of crimes and are outon probation/parole or are reentering our communities after incarceration.Vince Gray will ensure the availability of opportunities for ex-offenders whowant to change the trajectory of their lives. As Mayor, he will ensure thatex-offenders are included in DOES job training programs to develop workskills that will assist with the successful re-entry into the community. Inaddition, ex-offenders will be considered for vocational training andadditional educational skill development to assit in the development of theiremployment opportunities:

Provide real job training and employment opportunities for ex-

offenders. Vince Gray knows that ex-offenders, especially those with felonyconvictions, face extraordinary challenges to gaining meaningfulemployment. Many job readiness and training programs will not acceptoffenders convicted of certain crimes even if there are no public safetyconcerns. Too many employers continue to discriminate against ex-offenders. And for many people, huge arrearages of child support prove tobe a major disincentive to legitimate work. As Mayor, Vince Gray willconnect ex-offenders to existing job training and workforce developmentopportunities, in particular, at the Community College of the District ofColumbia.

Coordinate supervision and services for ex-offenders. One of thebiggest challenges to ensuring the accountability of offenders in (orreentering) the community is that the Districts corrections agencies,prosecutors office, and court system all fall under the purview of the federalgovernment, making it increasingly difficult for local law enforcement andlocal service providers to coordinate much needed supervision of, andservices to, this population. As Mayor, Vince Gray will work to bring together



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local and federal agencies to help streamline their work and ensure thatcritical services are available, important supervision is provided andduplication of efforts is minimized. He will draft memoranda ofunderstanding by and between the federal and local government agencies toensure that each works together in ensuring the accountability of, and

provision of services to, offenders.

REIGNITE STALLED EMERGENCYMEDICAL SERVICES REFORMIt can be stressful and upsetting when a person is in need of emergencymedical care. The difficulty of this situation should not be compounded bydoubts surrounding the responsiveness and quality of care provided by theDistricts Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department (FEMS). But withfrequent very public failures appearing in the news, District residents remainconcerned about the quality of emergency medical services in the District ofColumbia. While reform was initiated following the tragic death of David

Rosenbaum, and recommendations were issued by the Task Force onEmergency Medical Services in 2007, efforts to reform and improve theseservices have stalled. Vince Gray knows how essential it is that emergencymedical services be world-class, and that residents should not have lingeringquestions about the quality of pre-hospital care in the District.


Reignite stalled reform of emergency medical services andimplement remaining Task Force recommendations. The tragic deathof David Rosenbaum in January 2006 highlighted critical faults within the

Districts emergency medical services (EMS) system. The Task Force onEmergency Medical Services (Task Force) empanelled to createrecommendations for improvement issued recommendations in September2007. Nearly three years on, and several recommendations have yet to berealized with efforts to reform EMS seeming to have stalled. Further, severalrecent, public failures illustrate the need for greater attention being given toreform. The Gray Administration will give reform of EMS the attention it verymuch needs and deserves. In order to ensure the Districts EMS is world-class, Vince Gray will:

Reconstitute the Task Force on Emergency Medical Services to reviewthe agencys progress, revise if necessary recommendations, and

create a roadmap to reform. The intent of the Task Force was torecommend dramatic change to improve emergency service delivery.FEMS delay in instituting these changes, and continued errors erodingthe publics confidence in EMS, show that the work of the Task Force isnot complete. Reconstituting this body will ensure a thorough, andmore objective, review of the agencys performance and what needs tobe done going forward. Placing the public spotlight on this issue will



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also ensure that changes to service delivery are made. Reforming EMStakes more than admitting errors were made and terminatingpersonnel involved.Demand FEMS management develop a plan, and show progressstarting day 1, to complete long-lingering Task Force recommendations

for reform. The Executive cannot continue to make excuses about thefailure to deliver on the Task Forces recommendations. Many of thecentral issues addressed by the Task Force have languished for thepast three years, such as the delay in transitioning pay and benefitsparity between single-role and dual-role providers. Though the Councilhas enabled this through legislation, the current Administrationcontinues to drag its feet on this core issue of reform. FEMS will berequired, starting on day one of Mayor Grays term, to show progresstowards implementation of remaining recommendations.

Ensure strong medical direction within FEMS by clarifying the role of

Medical Director within the agency and strengthening the positionsindependence. World-class pre-hospital care requires strong medicaldirection. In FEMS, where the culture of the agency is strongly linked withfire suppression, this also requires leadership to elevate the role and stressthe importance of emergency medical services within the agency. Under thecurrent Administration, the role of EMS has been subjugated and efforts toinstitute strong medical direction stifled. As Mayor, Vince Gray will:

Appoint a strong, independent Medical Director and ensure theresources and support to bring about true reform to EMS. The FentyAdministration is now on its third Medical Director, with the currentindividual only serving on an interim basis. Further, with eight months

having passed since the previous Medical Director left District servicethe Mayor has yet to nominate what would be the fourth MedicalDirector in four years. With such a short average length of service it isimpossible for any Medical Director to gain an understanding of theDistricts EMS, much less institute meaningful reform. As a result, it isimpossible for an occupant of the position to remain in such afrustrating and stifling environment.

Clarify the role of the Medical Director within the FEMS organizationalstructure. While the Medical Director holds the rank of Assistant FireChief, he or she is appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consentof the Council and may only be removed by the Mayor. The current

Administration has not given this position the authority and autonomynecessary to ensure quality care. The Medical Director must havecontrol over all medical decision-making without her/his efforts beingsubverted by other interests in the Department. Only when the role ofthe Medical Director is made clear to agency leadership, as well asasserting that the Medical Director has the strong backing of theExecutive, can that individual work aggressively to improve the quality



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of care within the District. Develop strong protocols for pre-hospital care and ensure through

aggressive oversight that those protocols are followed. Too often wehear from FEMS in response to tragic mishandling of medical servicesthat protocols were, supposedly, in place, but were not followed.

Providing clarity with regard to the responsibilities of front-line workers,and aggressively reviewing the operations of EMS response, will ensurethat preventable tragedies are minimized, if not eliminated.

Institute medical quality controls within FEMS and aggressivelyaudit medical service. To ensure reform is on the right track, and restorepublic confidence in EMS delivery, medical quality controls must be put inplace and continuous review of medical service must be conducted. Medicalprotocols in the District must surpass national standards. And Districtgovernment, as well as the public, must be able to assess the delivery ofemergency medical care against required controls and benchmarks for

improvement. Review of such information will enable the government andother stakeholders to gain a better picture of the quality of care and seewhat is being done to improve emergency medical services. This will alsoenable FEMS to develop necessary changes to policy and determine trainingneeds. Furthermore, it will enable stakeholders to develop recommendationsto strengthen service delivery.

A full picture of what resources, monetary or otherwise, are being directed toEMS is also essential to making these services world-class. While the Councilhas directed that a detailed explanation of financial resources be provided inthe Mayors budget proposal, the Fenty Administration has ignored this

directive, refusing to allow public inspection of such details. It is imperativethat FEMS regularly report information on costs and other expendituresrelated to EMS. As this agency with the apparent consent of Mayor Fenty overspends its annual budget authority by millions of dollars, continuousauditing of expenditures is necessary to ensure that funding dedicated toEMS reform is not reprogrammed to other, unbudgeted and unapproved,expenditures within the agency. This is important not only for EMS, but forthe multitude of services provided by the agency. While the currentExecutive has failed to reign in the overspending by FEMS that occurs yearafter year, strong oversight and controls of the FEMS budget is necessary toensure funding is used for improved medical services, but also to ensure that

resources are available for fire suppression and the adequate training andequipment for our front-line emergency responders in this agency.

Only by requiring such reporting by FEMS can we ensure that adequateresources are being directed toward EMS. Only by making this informationavailable for public inspection can we restore public confidence in thedelivery of pre-hospital emergency medical care.



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Collaborate with front-line workers within FEMS to improve qualityand delivery of both fire suppression and emergency medicalservices. Failing to work collaboratively with front-line emergencyresponders and their labor representatives serves no legitimate purpose and

is an inexcusable and unnecessary provocation of the men and women thatrisk their lives for the residents of the District of Columbia. With increasingregularity over the past four years, government employees particularly inthe public safety cluster have appeared before the Council frustrated bypolicies and practices which alienate the Districts workforce. Furthermore,as execution of union contracts continues to be delayed by the FentyAdministration, those who risk their lives in emergency situations are findingit harder and harder to make ends meet.

Working with those on the front-lines, day in and day out, can improvemorale among the workforce. It can also help to contribute to the

development of better policies and practices, ones that are educated by theknowledge and experiences of those who operate in the field every day.Working cooperatively we can achieve much more, as many in governmentservice are anxious to contribute to positive developments in operations andservice delivery. There is nothing to be gained from treating this offer to helpwith antagonism. Making the personnel who perform the duties sonecessary to our continued safety a full partner in our efforts will ensure asafer more pleasant place to live, work, and play. There must betransparency, collaboration, and accountability to make FEMS a nationalmodel.

Reinstitute the Mayor's EMS Advisory Committee (EMSAC). This vitalcommittee, established in the law and composed of medical practitionersand citizens with diverse backgrounds and perspectives, will help ensure thetransparency, collaboration, and accountability needed to oversee theDistrict's EMS system.

Keeping our Citizens and Communities Safe

Documents

Gray Public Safety Final