WASHINGTON — A D.C. councilwoman is suggesting sweeping changes she says will reform the Metropolitan Police Department and give people greater confidence in the criminal justice system.
The Police and Criminal Discovery Reform Amendment Act of 2015, proposed by Councilwoman Mary Cheh, would redefine what’s considered assault on an officer and change rules for what can happen after someone is arrested.
Under current law, assault on a police officer in the District is broadly defined to include behavior such as holding closed a home’s door so officers can’t get inside, or stiffening your arms when being handcuffed. “We must always provide safeguards to protect our officers, but the law should not be so broad so that nearly any encounter with an officer could be considered an assault,” Cheh said in a news release.
Cheh’s proposal would narrow the definition of assault on a police officer, and also make changes to how police lineups are conducted, how police deal with witnesses and expand what prosecutors need to share with defendants before going to court.
It would also make more information available to the Office of Police Complaints on previous complaints or discipline related to an officer — helpful for when review boards investigate citizen complaints against officers.
“Although this bill has been in development prior to recent civil unrest, recent events highlight the need for these criminal justice reforms,” Cheh said. “There is great frustration with a justice system that is intended to protect our residents but which is perceived by many to be unfair. This bill seeks to restore greater confidence in the criminal justice system.”
D.C. police spokeswoman Gwendolyn Crump says that the department hasn’t seen the bill, but that Chief Cathy Lanier “recommended at a council hearing last year to more narrowly define a misdemeanor assault on a police officer.”
