More than 20 senior Washington, D.C., police officers will not be returning to the force after the end of the month, with more than half due to alleged serious misconduct.
The 21 officers had all retired and were rehired by the Metropolitan Police Department on a year-by-year basis. These officers' contracts all end on April 30.
The Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022 prohibited the police department from appointing police officers who have any serious misconduct in their background, according to a police spokesperson. This law led to 12 of the officers being dismissed.
The law was first introduced in the summer of 2020 following the murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minnesota. It was later made permanent in December 2022 and transmitted to Congress without D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser's signature.
The bill strengthens police disciplinary procedures, addresses police use of force, limits consent searches, bolsters the office of police complaints, makes it easier for the public to access records and body camera footage during investigations into possible police misconduct, and prohibits the police department from hiring officers disciplined or fired for past serious misconduct. It also reinforces a 1985 law banning chokeholds and neck restraints.
The contracts of the nine other officers were not renewed for various reasons, although specific details were not provided.
The D.C. Police Union confirmed that twelve Senior Police Officers will be dismissed due to the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Act of 2022. The union criticized the legislation, calling it the worst piece of public safety legislation passed by the D.C. Council. The union expressed concern that the law prohibits the hiring of sworn personnel with sustained discipline from any law enforcement agency, including the Metropolitan Police Department, rendering some experienced officers ineligible for retention.
