Proposed FY2006 Budget for the Metropolitan Police Department - Advisories

Charles H. Ramsey
Chief of Police
Metropolitan Police Department

Chief Charles H. Ramsey delivered the following statement to the Council of the District of Columbia, Committee on the Judiciary, The Honorable Phil Mendelson, Chair, on April 14, 2005, at the Council Chamber, John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC.

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Chairman Mendelson, other members of the Council, staff and guests … I appreciate the opportunity to present this brief statement outlining the Metropolitan Police Department’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2006. Other members of the Department’s Command Staff are with me to assist in responding to your questions. The text of my prepared testimony is posted on the Police Department’s website, www.mpdc.dc.gov.

The Department’s proposed operating budget for FY06 is approximately $377 million dollars from all funding sources. The proposed budget for next year represents a modest increase of $4.6 million dollars, or about 1.2 percent, from the Department’s approved budget for FY05. Of the $377 million dollar gross budget, approximately $354 million dollars – or 94 percent – is locally funded. Our proposed local funds budget for FY06 represents an increase of just one-half of one percent (0.5%) over the FY05 approved local funds budget.

Just over 81 percent of the FY06 budget – almost $306 million dollars – is for “Personal Services” to cover the salaries, fringe benefits and other costs associated with our sworn and civilian employees. The budget supports a total of 4,475 full-time equivalent employees (or FTEs), essentially the same number as the current fiscal year. The remaining 19 percent of the total budget – approximately $71.5 million dollars – covers a variety of “Nonpersonal Services” to include specialized law enforcement purchases – such as uniforms, firearms, ammunition, and contracts for the Police and Fire Clinic, fleet, and automated traffic enforcement – as well as necessities common to most District agencies – such as utilities, telecommunications, rent, fuel, information technology support, office supplies, and janitorial contracts.

I am pleased to report that, overall, this budget supports the Department’s major priorities of neighborhood patrols, crime fighting and community policing. I believe that the FY06 budget, while fiscally prudent and responsible, will enable the MPD to continue the strong record of crime reduction that we have achieved over the past few years. Crime in the District of Columbia declined by 18 percent last year, and that trend has continued into the first four months of 2005. I am confident that we will be able to maintain, and build upon, these successes into 2006 with the budget that has been proposed.

Probably the most significant features of the proposed FY06 budget are that it maintains the MPD’s authorized sworn strength at 3,800 members, and it supports our continuing efforts to put even more of those officers on the streets, in operational assignments in our neighborhoods. With the support of the Mayor and the Council, the MPD reached our goal of 3,800 sworn members in September 2004, and we have stayed at, or very close to, 3,800 ever since. Having the full complement of sworn members has made a tremendous difference in our ability to staff our Police Service Areas and carry out specialized enforcement, intervention and prevention strategies.