WASHINGTON – Protests, rallies and growing discontent with police.
D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier says recent national events echoed here at home have challenged the morale in her department and she’s working to combat it.
Lanier told NewsChannel 8 Tuesday that the magnified feelings of discontent with police is wearing on officers who patrol the District.
“I know it’s tough times and it feels like people don’t appreciate police as a whole,” Lanier says she wrote in an email to the entire department.
The message included a video of an officer interacting with a community member, she says.
“Several of the officers responded almost instantly and said, ‘Thank you. This really is nice to see people appreciating officers working so hard to protect them’.”
After getting a message from a concerned citizen about a disconnect with police in his neighborhood, Lanier says her department held a community meeting so residents could meet their local patrol officers.
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