WASHINGTON — D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Tuesday that she supports how Police Chief Cathy Lanier is handling the uptick in local violence.
“She has policed the streets in the worst of times,” said the mayor in response to a question on NewsChannel 8. “I rely on her advice on how to move and deploy strategies.”
Specifically, Bowser said she supports Lanier’s decision to change the way detectives police drug deals in D.C., by shifting the focus from street corners to suppliers.
“Criminals that sell drugs don’t do it the same way as they did in 1990,” Bowser said. “So police have to change tactics as well.”
The policing that worked during the city’s crack epidemic won’t work now, she said, as synthetic drugs sales mostly take place online and in convenience stores.
The D.C. police union doesn’t support Lanier’s decision to put undercover officers back in uniform.
The union points to a 42 percent increase in homicides compared with last year. However, police data shows that since Lanier took the helm in 2007, the city’s homicide rate has declined.
