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Many cops on brutality watch list work in most violent D.C. districts
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WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Dozens of police officers in D.C.’s most dangerous neighborhoods are getting red flags on their files and being referred to a special department program that aims to prevent brutality before it happens, internal police documents show.
Eighty-four officers in the 5th, 6th and 7th police districts have been referred to the department’s “supervisory support program” because the bosses are worried that they are too aggressive, a July 13 internal police report obtained by The Examiner shows.
That’s nearly 40 percent of the total officers on the watch list, according to the internal documents.
Those three police districts are consistently the most violent in the city. Combined, they’ve been home to more than three-fourths of D.C.’s homicides, two-fifths of its robberies and half of its rapes, according to police statistics.
Violence has gotten so bad in the 5th District that Police Chief Cathy Lanier has twice tried to quarantine it with her controversial barricade program.
The police department is just coming out of a decade of Justice Department monitoring, brought about because trigger-happy cops made the capital one of the most dangerous places in America to run into the police.
Johnny Barnes, of the D.C.-area American Civil Liberties Union, said he was concerned about the numbers of officers in need of “support.” He said the public ought to have broad access to the department’s records to see whether there “are issues about safety and competence.”
“The public deserves that kind of scrutiny, at a minimum,” Barnes said. “Too much is at stake.”
But some say that the statistics are misleading. Kris Baumann, the chairman of the D.C. police union, said that officers get flagged when suspects resist being handcuffed. They can also wind up getting a negative referral when they don’t file their mountains of paperwork properly.
The real concern, Baumann said, is that Lanier isn’t letting the officers do their jobs in dangerous neighborhoods.
“If you’re the working police, you get crushed by downtown,” Baumann said. “It’s just a grind. We’re not talking about bad police officers doing bad things, we’re talking about minor paperwork errors.”
Neither Lanier nor her spokeswoman responded to requests for comment.
Got a tip on the D.C. police? Call Bill Myers at 202-459-4956 or e-mail bmyers@dcexaminer.com.
Comments from Examiner Readers
4:00 PM MST on Thu., Jul. 24, 2008 re: "Many cops on brutality watch list work in most violent D.C. districts"
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Examiner Reader said:
Thank You for explaining how that PPMS system works. The Examiner failed to explain the system. I have some good cops in my neighborhood who are afriad to say anything to the drug dealers on my corner because they can not afford any more complaints. One MPD captain told me that their system of reporting police complaints is flawed with problems. The cops that I mentioned already been hire by another police department, when I mentioned it to the same captain because they left, he said yea they are all leaving, like it was nothing.
7 agree | 5 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Today I'm disappointed with the Examiners reporting. This is very lazy reporting, the writer fails to explain how the system really works, I blame the editors for this. The system you are reporting on cannot be explained in a paragraph. The system is called Personnel Performance Management System (PPMS) it automatically assign a pre-disposition point value to all complaints against officers & some job related activity including (missing court 10 pts, use of force hand strike 25 pts, vehicle pursuit 25 pts, civil law suit filed against an officer 25 pts, and tardiness 15 pts). 100 points trigger the automatic review that is being discussed in the article. In most cases that officer is forced to participate in some type of re-training/corrective action before these allegations are investigated and a determination made that the alleged misconduct acutally happened. This system protects the officers who do nothing and punish the workers. As constituted the system discourages work.
9 agree | 5 disagree
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TTT said:
As a fan I am sick of DC Govt and other anti United and its stadium plans. Although I wish there is a way to remain the team in the District, but with their devil spirit, I urge the team to move out of this place. Let hem sit on the empty rotten feild and be miserable forever.
13 agree | 12 disagree
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RSS said:
It is amazing that such irresponsible journalism is tolerated and that reports by agenda-driven groups are presented as fact and without critical analysis or contrary opinions solicited. For starters, any analysis that is worth presenting is based on facts which are utterly lacking and wrong in this case. This facility will be used many more times than the "fewer than 30" used in the analysis. In fact, the number is likely to be more than double the figure provided in the "analysis". So-called analysis that is based on assumptions that are demonstrably off by a factor of nearly 2 is irresponsible. Reporting irresponsible data without analysis is irresponsible reporting. This could have been determined by cursory evaluation of any number of readily-available sources. If the lack of real journalism in this article is representative of the quality of the Examiner, you are in a sorry state, indeed.
17 agree | 13 disagree
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dee said:
TFC is a much better team then D.C united. The only player D.C has that is close to real football material is Emilio. He has had flashes of world class striking, but with D.C shallow depth, he is not receiving the proper service. If D.C has any hopes for this season, they need to keep Moreno on the bench, and play the young guns like Quaranta and Emilio. And focus around Gallardo because he is the root of most of D.C`s goals. Regardless, D.C, can not compare to a revamped Toronto FC. Toronto outskills them by a long shot. But D.C can still hope.
15 agree | 20 disagree
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Cohen said:
The South Americans are bringing class to the league. I can't wait for the new season to start this Saturday!
17 agree | 15 disagree
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Nancy McBeth said:
The city this contest takes place in is named Cibolo not Cebolo. Please correct. Thank you.
17 agree | 15 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Absolutely, totally, completely and inexcusably obscene. Especially in the current economic climate, no municipality, or state for that matter, should be spending public money on sports stadiums owned by people who can afford to build their own facilities. Fix the schools, roads, bridges, hospitals, etc., first.
77 agree | 84 disagree
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Bob in Manassas said:
"If DC United wanted a soccer stadium, it should have done what business people do: ask for a loan from private industry to be repaid with interest." D.C. United did come with a plan and even did the leg work to get the Polar Point land. The catch was the infrastructure support (about $200 mil) for mixed use development similar to what Clark has proposed ... except the Clark project will need $500 million kicked in from the city. I do not know about your math mine says that Fenty is a dope.
79 agree | 76 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
To be honest, the Nats and United belonged in VA. They are the real ones that are floating both teams. Just being honest!
78 agree | 81 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I am glad to see that the Mayor is doing the right thing after screwing United and the groups that did all the work in promoting ACTUAL development in Anacostia. Hell, United won the support of Marion Barry … I do not see how this is a better deal for the city. The city will be putting up twice as much money as McFarlane / AEG initially requested for the Poplar Point site improvements. Not only is the city is to pay more for site improvements but will also plus kick in money for the stadium; sounds like the over pay approach that the city specializes in. Way to go Mayor Fenty ...
76 agree | 76 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Fairfax United? Gimme a break. They're not going anywhere. They're trying to force the issue. What sucks for DC United is that soccer isn't baseball, I'd love if they stayed in DC but nobody is going to the mat to give them a sweetheart deal like the Nats got.
253 agree | 253 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Yes let's have DC United in Northern Virginia where they will be treated better.
247 agree | 240 disagree
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Developersagent.com said:
Its about time someone took a stand in support of Poplar Point & the DC United Stadium besides Marion Barry (whose track record is not the cleanest to say the least). Poplar Point should go to DC United.
410 agree | 274 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Red Bull NY is not tied for MLS's best record, they in fact top the table with 10 points and a plus 5 goal differential, as oppossed to Chicago Fire FC, who sit second with 10 points and a +3 GD.
752 agree | 397 disagree
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