What Happened The federal Revitalization Act of 1997 and subsequent legislation placed the management of the parole function under a federal agency, the U.S. Parole Commission (USPC). This past November, Congress authorized the elimination of the U.S. Parole Commission (USPC) in November 2020. This opened the door to returning these functions to District control. Now, …
District Government
This contains posts related to all parts of the District government including the DC Council, the Mayor’s office and related entities.
Mayor Bowser Chooses New Chief of Police
Mayor Muriel Bowser has chosen a replacement for now-retired DC Police Chief Peter Newsham. She chose Robert J. Contee III, a 31-year veteran who joined the force as a cadet while a senior at the now-closed Spingarn High School. He will serve on an acting basis pending confirmation by the D.C. Council. For more, see …
DC City Council Committee Assignments for 2021
According to several media reports, DC Council Chairman Phil Mendelson has announced Council assignments for next year. Some highlights:
DC Police Reform Commission Announces Subcommittees
The newly formed DC Police Reform Commission (more) held a meeting on Monday, September 14, 2020 at which subcommittees were formed. The Commission also has a new website. Each committee will choose a lead and a co-lead and develop a schedule for the committee to meet on a regular basis. It was decided that because …
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DC Police Reform Commission Responds to Deon Kay Shooting
The newly formed DC Police Reform Commission (more) held an emergency meeting on Friday, September 4, 2020 to receive a briefing from the Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) on the police shooting of Deon Kay in Southeast D.C. on September 2, 2020, and to discuss police shootings more generally. This followed a statement …
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New DC Police Reform Commission Holds First Meeting
Background The DC City Council recently passed emergency legislation that included reforms related to the DC Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and its operations. The new law is called the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Second Emergency Amendment Act of 2020 (D.C. Act 23-336). The Council intends to vote on a permanent replacement for this emergency …
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Mayor Bowser Appointed a New Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice
In her morning press conference today, Mayor Bowser announced that she had appointed Dr. Roger A. Mitchell Jr., Interim Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice. Dr. Mitchell has been serving as DC’s Chief Medical Examiner. More recently he has served as the Co-Chair of the Reopen DC Committee. Former Deputy Mayor for Public Safety …
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Mayor Bowser Endorses Local Control of Parole and Two-year US Parole Commission Update
In a letter to Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton dated July 5, 2020, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser publicly endorsed, for the first time, the District taking over the parole function from the US Parole Commission (USPC). Mayor Bowser asked Rep. Norton to take action in Congress to extend the USPC’s authorization for two years after it …
DC City Council Releases Hearings Schedule for Budget and other Business
The DC City Council has published a public hearing schedule for the upcoming budget and other business. A link to the PDF document with all the details is provided below.
ReThink Justice DC Coalition Letter to City Official Calling for funding for safe housing for Returning Citizens
The ReThink Justice DC Coalition has sent a letter to Mayor Muriel Bowser, DC Councilmember Charles Allen and Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton calling on them to “bring a sense of urgency to address the gaps left by the sudden closure of Hope Village.” The letter was signed by a number of local criminal justice reform …