Winston Robinson Jr.
Assistant Chief in Charge of ROC-East
Metropolitan Police Department

A/C Winston Robinson delivered the following statement to the Council of the District of Columbia, Committee on the Judiciary, the Honorable Kathy Patterson, Chair, on June 9, 2004, at the Council Chamber, John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC.

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Madame Chair, members of the Committee and Council, staff, and guests—thank you for the opportunity to present this statement outlining the Metropolitan Police Department’s positions on the legislation under consideration today. Chief Ramsey regrets that he was unable to be here. 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, mpdc.dc.gov.

Chief Ramsey strongly urges the Committee to reject the primary piece of legislation before the Committee today, the “Metropolitan Police Department's Pursuit Clarification Act of 2004.” Both Chief Ramsey and Mayor Williams oppose the bill and believe that MPD’s existing vehicular pursuit policy reflects the best practices of law enforcement. A nationally recognized expert on police pursuits, Geoffrey Alpert, Director of Research for the College of Criminal Justice at the University of South Carolina, has also submitted testimony to you today voicing his opposition to the Pursuit Clarification Act and support for MPD’s current policy.