Acting Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier faced hours of tough questions from the D.C. Council Friday, but she appeared to emerge unscathed, with several members indicating support for her nomination.
Lanier, a high school dropout and 17-year member of the force who worked her way up through the ranks, named crime reduction, perception of crime, and increasing neighborhood and school safety top priorities.
The chief oversees a force of about 3,800 officers.
Lanier has been a proponent of expanding community policing, something Mayor Adrian Fenty said was lacking under former Chief Charles Ramsey.
Few people who testified during Friday’s six-hour hearing complained about Lanier’s first 2 1/2 months on the job.
Residents have reported seeing more officers in their neighborhoods as a result of Lanier’s move to more community policing.
Council Member Jack Evans, D-Ward 2, asked about strategies for increasing the department’s long-term visibility.
Lanier cited changes to uniforms and reduction in the use of unmarked cars in favor of patrol vehicles officers could take home as tactics that may help, adding she plans to look at restructuring the department.
“The long-term plan is I really have to look at how I have people deployed,” Lanier said.
The District’s complicated court system and the amount of paperwork officers must do has taken away from time officers could spend making arrests, said Council Member Tommy Wells, D-Ward 6.
That has had a trickle-down effect on the department’s retention rates and ability to recruit new hires, police union officials said.
The District spends about $100,000 a week in overtime so officers can go to court to process paperwork on arrests, Lanier said.
She has promised to do what she can to make the process less cumbersome and costly.
Council members will vote on Lanier’s nomination after a two-week public comment period that ends March 30.
