Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.

office of police complaints

Office of Police Complaints
 

DC Agency Top Menu

-A +A
Bookmark and Share

Police Complaints Board and Office of Police Complaints Release Fiscal Year 2010 Annual Report

Thursday, March 17, 2011

(Washington, DC) The Office of Police Complaints (OPC) and its governing body, the Police Complaints Board (PCB), today released its fiscal year 2010 Annual Report. 

The agency received 582 complaints of police misconduct, reflecting a 5.8% increase over fiscal year 2009.  The agency also closed 6.6% more cases than in the previous year.

OPC received over 1000 citizen contacts, interviewed over 850 citizens and officers, and prepared 299 investigative reports. 

In addition, the agency resolved through its nationally known mediation program nearly 9% of all cases resolved during the year, conducting 37 mediation sessions with citizen complainants and police officers.  Agreements were reached in 29 of those sessions, translating to a success rate of over 78 %.  The annual report provides three mediation examples.

Beyond investigating and resolving citizen complaints of police misconduct, the agency issued two policy recommendations, one adopting a formal Open Meetings policy and the second calling for enhanced public education of the laws governing the use of mopeds and motor scooters.

The agency was also active on the outreach front in each of the District’s eight wards, educating people about OPC and its efforts to promote greater police accountability.  Many of the events targeted individuals with limited English-speaking ability, residents of D.C. Housing Authority properties, and youth.

In addition to summarizing information about the agency’s workload, the annual report calls for providing OPC with direct access to some computerized police reports and other records maintained by MPD.  Such access would greatly reduce the time and expense that MPD needs to fulfill OPC document requests, shorten the duration of our agency’s investigative process, and bring the District into line with best practices in the field of independent police review.

To view a full copy of PCB’s 2010 Annual Report, please visit our website at www.policecomplaints.dc.gov.