September 8, 2006
Ramsey Starts Searching Craigslist for Jobs
D.C. Police Chief Charles Ramsey hasn't had to worry about job security for eight years. But as NBC 4 reports today, a new job is something he might soon have to look for.
Ramsey was brought on with D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams and has been credited for improving policing and overseeing a drop in violent crime, especially homicides. But among repeated cries for further reform after this summer's crime spike, will Ramsey make it through a mayoral administration headed by frontrunner Adrian Fenty? He's not betting on it:
I think [Fenty] made it very clear that he'd be looking for a change, and it would certainly be his right to do that if he became mayor. I listen to the news. I read newspapers. I know what's going on. I hear the rumors.If Fenty won, would throwing out Ramsey be a rash move by a young and anti-establishment pol? Or would it represent a chance to provide a jumpstart to a police department that while good, could be better?
We're not really sure. While Ramsey has no doubt done wonders for a city that was often credited with being the nation's murder capital, there is also plenty of evidence to argue that his forward momentum has stalled, or at least slowed considerably. Much like Williams, Ramsey may have been the right person to get the city on solid ground, but may not be able to push far beyond that. Of course, we hope that any decision made takes into consideration the morale of the police officers themselves -- there would be nothing more destructive than to boot a chief that is well-liked and respected.
What say you, DCist readers? Should Ramsey be voted off the island, or is he worth keeping?
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Losing him would be a huge mistake, in pretty much every category the police department has improved from the joke it was 20 years ago. Who would Fenty replace him with that would be a better candidate? Do you think there's many exemplary police chiefs that WANT the DC job? Right now I'm still undecided, but this would change my vote to "not Fenty".
His forward momentum may be slowing down and may arguably be stalling, but that's not for lack of effort. Why do progressive and forward moving ideas stop flowing? Because the other side of the coin are the people sitting on their thumbs, like the city council. Letting Ramsey go would be a big mistake. The change over in the council will hopefully boost the progress he's been making.
Who knows .. i can argue either way, you can ak every citizen for their opinion and make it a popularity contest. But one factor in a Mayor's decision should include a polling of ANC commissioners. These people often interact with police representatives in their own neighborhood, have met with officers and work with them to fight criminal activity. They know the police response and problems relevant to their own boundaries better than anyone and gauge the police follow through.
A good mayor will recognize this and figure out an effective way to get ANC input/feedback.
erahk
My thoughts on the topic of Chief Ramsey yesterday.
I have mixed feelings about Ramsey, his comments and attitude in interviews before and during the crime emergency showed he's clearly lost his mojo, but there is also the issue of the lack of help from the Council in establishing crime laws that do more to aide police efforts rather than hinder them. The recidivism rate in DC is jaw dropping and that really has more to do with the judicial system and the council than it does Ramsey. it would be premature to force him out just for the sake of regime change alone.
Fenty (assuming he's elected that is) really needs to address problems with the police union. I would rather see the new mayor get that done first, along with harsher sentencing guidelines, tougher anti-loitering laws, and some sort of provisions for civilian self & home defense. Maybe 8 years is enough for Ramsey, but he has proven himself before and I would really have to see who his likely replacement would be before I would call for his resignation.
Maybe he could get a gig as one of those strippers who shows up in a police uniform, to give lap dances to ladies at bachelorette parties. The pay can't be too bad, and you know that at least a percentage of these ladies will be major hotties.
Regardless of whether or not you like Ramsey, I think it's safe to say that, regardless of the outcome of this election, he'll be gone before long. Don't forget that the police union endorsed Cropp, and we all know how much the union hates Ramsey. Whether it's a Cropp or Fenty administration, Ramsey's days are numbered.
One of the reasons why I do not particularly Adrian Fenty is because from his record it is clear that he dislikes Chief Ramsey, who I think has done a good job. I suspect it was more out of political expediency than any deeply-held conviction (Fenty has spent a lot of energy on the Council making himself into an anti-Williams politician), but it would be hard to imagine that he'd be able to keep Ramsey on and maintain any sense of consistency.
My bad. Meant to say "One of the reasons I do not particularly LIKE Adrian Fenty..."
I think there's a faulty syllogism going on here. People seem to be equating the decline in crime with Ramsey's leadership. That's like saying the downtown economy is thriving because of Mayor Williams. There's A LOT of factors involved in both crime/economic development. Had there been no Ramsey, crime would have gone down anyway because it's going down nationwide.
That said, Ramsey continues to pay lip service to community concerns about crime. He continues to insist that cops walking a beat is a poor use of resources. He continues peddling the myths that gun control and gun buybacks and drug criminalization lowers crime. And he continues to put the concerns of the Federal Government ahead of those of the residents of the District.
Does anyone know the Chief's stance on putting more police on foot rather than keeping them in patrol cars? After that DCist post on MakeDCSafe it's become a rather important issue for me personally.
"I think there's a faulty syllogism going on here. People seem to be equating the decline in crime with Ramsey's leadership. That's like saying the downtown economy is thriving because of Mayor Williams. There's A LOT of factors involved in both crime/economic development. Had there been no Ramsey, crime would have gone down anyway because it's going down nationwide."
heh. I also happen to think that the downtown IS thriving because of Williams:O True, there are a lot of factors, but I think that the nationwide crime rate downturn is because of police chiefs like Ramsey and not despite them. I don't think its a false syllogism; if the crime rate had gone up during this time we'd want him to be replaced. I don't know better other metrics you can measure his performance by. We're 30 minutes from Baltimore but don't have a murder/drug problem anywhere near as bad as theirs; we share a border with PG County but DC cops aren't as notorious. NY and LA cops are/were infamous for singling out and abusing minorities, Chicago cops are currently embroiled in a corruption investigation, DC has remained relatively scandal-free. Ramsey took a joke of a police force in a city that was known as the murder capital and has made it quasi-respectable.
Whether voters take the Post's lead and elect Ray Nagin the Mayor or follow BowTie Tony's advice to sober up and elect someone with a clue as to how to do the job as Mayor, Linda Cropp, Ramsey must go. Remember "Pershing Square"? He should have been gone then.
The ONLY thing Ramsey has been adept at is insuring his job security. He has mostly learned to manipulate statistics and PR and avoid bad publicity as much as he possibly can.
Morale stinks because the rank and file (who endorsed Cropp I believe)know what a self serving poseur Ramsey is. I guess they also know that a poseur would not be a good idea for a Mayor. There is also the problem about the courts and prosecutors office which is unfortunately outside the power of either the MPD or the Mayor to do much about. That is why Catania calls for an independent DA which of course would require the cooperation of Congress which of course Cropp could possibly get and Ray Nagin could not.
I have decided to "sober up" and support Cropp. She has the goods. I did hear a great one about Nagin though. "Ray Nagin rang my doorbell and I discovered nobody was home, PRICELESS"! Pass it on!
Some people who care about civil liberties still remember the Pershing Park mass arrests. After all, they were only 4 years ago. If Mary Cheh, who was involved in investigating and writing new police guidelines in response to that outrage, is elected to the council, that will be yet another person in the government who's no fan of Ramsey.
To All the Pro-Cropp Trolls:
Please, just give it a rest. Cropp has a 26 year long record of non-achievement that's turning people off. It isn't Fenty's relentless campaigning or the Post endorsement that put Cropp behind the 8-ball, it is her HORRIBLE RECORD.
If Ms Cropp had had the courage to stand her ground on the stadium deal we might be having a different conversation. But obviously the promise of a William's endorsement and establishment support for her mayoral bid was enough to get her to back down and let the stadium deal go through.
Don't go away mad, just go away.
HR
Pro-Cropp trolls? Shesh, some people certainly can't deal with dissent!
Hill Rat, just because someone doesn't subscribe to your narrow view of the world doesn't make them a "troll."
If you opened your mind -- and your eyes -- you probably wouldn't be a blind-faith Fenty supporter.
In my opinion, Charles Ramsey should be shown the door.
Safety is the # 1 priority and concern for DC residents right now.
Lets look at Adrian Fenty's record: He thought he could score spoints by being the lone ranger on crime when he voted NO for the recent emergency crime legislation?
Maybe he has a better plan to address the senseless killings that are rampant in the District now?
Where is his plan? It reeks of inaction.
Doing nothing about crime endangers the lives of our vulnerable citizns, including children and our elderly.
Linda Cropp is the ONLY candidate who can win the mayor’s race and who understands how to fight crime in this city.
In my opinion, Charles Ramsey should be shown the door.
...the door to the dressing room, to put on that sexy thong and special police costume that can be torn off with ease. Don't forget the handcuffs! Experienced police-style strippers are in demand right now. This would be the logical next step on his career path. I'm not sure that Craigslist is the place to find such employment opportunities, though. The classifieds in the City Paper would probably be a better place to start.
So ... there's a schism between the police union and Ramsey. And the union has endorsed Cropp. But FENTY is the candidate with Ramsey in his crosshairs. Also: he wants to drive businesses out of the District and usurp the Williams legacy. Or does he? The politics of this town are so damn convoluted. It's like trying to figure out Primer. Someone explain again--why doesn't the police union like Fenty? Is this Fenty now or Fenty from next Sunday?
Jeremy, Fenty's plan is where it's been for some time: right here (see where it says "Read Public Safety Plan"?). Now, you may certainly disagree with the plan, but to claim he has no plan is disingenuous. I'm far from excited about Fenty, but the more I hear from you folks in the comments the more I lean toward voting for him.
But at least we can agree about Ramsey.
Some things are beyond the control of the police chief.
But I've never been impressed with Ramsey. He absolutely refuses to endorse the 'broken windows' theory of policing that NYC has used so brilliantly. Many of the DC cops I actually respect say he's done little to cut down on paperwork (it still takes hours to process the simplest of arrests, so it's no wonder cops are loathe to arrest that loser defecating in your front yard).
And he refuses to put beat cops on residential streets. Yes, I know not all cops can walk a beat. But as it is now DC cops refuse to get out of their vehicles unless it's to pick up their dry cleaning or do other personal business. This is a result of upper management policy. And that is set by Ramsey.
I actually asked Ramsey about beat cops in a Washington Post online chat once. He actually told me that he was under the impression all DC cops walked a beat at least one hour per shift, and he specifically identified my neighborhood as one where there were plenty of beat cops. In four years of living in this particular hood I've NEVER seen a beat cop. I've asked several cops about this, and they laughed really hard, saying Ramsey will say one thing to the press but something else when actually setting policy.
A good many rank and file and decent cops with experience don't think much of Ramsey.
For all the people saying that Ramsey must go- who would you replace him with?
Dupont,
What are you talking about? Disliking Linda Cropp's disingenuous, clumsy, and amateurish street team of Kool Aid drinkers (this could also be another Rees alias too) doesn't make me "a blind-faith Fenty supporter" as you so inelegantly put it.
Dopey posts comparing Fenty to Ray Nagin lower the level of political discourse here at DCist. By the time I got to the reference to Pershing Sq. (a legitimate concern about Ramsey), I was already distracted wondering what kind of ass clown would attempt such a lame gambit.
Name calling is easy & fun and I can do it as well as anyone, but it rarely leads to substantive conversation.
For all the people saying that Ramsey must go- who would you replace him with?
Good question and part of the reason that I don't think you should get rid of a police chief for no real reason. Of course you don't want to keep a police chief just for the sake of continuity either.
KC....
You don't get it.
My two little boys are afraid to go outside and ride their bikes.
Our neighborhood was horrified about the ‘execution style’ killing of that 17-year-old girl Benning Road a few weeks ago.
That kind of lawlessness is downright disgusting.
I just think Fenty & his inaction will fuel the chaos of it all.
Some say that Adrian Fenty is running neck and neck with Linda Cropp, but I have no confidence Fenty can keep my neighborhood in Ward Six safe.
Linda Cropp is tough on crime. She is going to work very hard to keep our neighborhoods secure.
Cropp will take decisive steps to to crack down on crime in order to protect our seniors and children.
I am voting for Cropp for Mayor.
if he fired ramsey, who would ileaglly arrest our protesters, take big bonouses for mediocre performance, encourage big brother cameras across the city? gosh, it would be such a loss.....
He should stay. Some folks really do not remember how really bad the police force was. He has promoted better commanders, improved the general professionalism of the beat cop, and has taken some steps to hold the police accountable (just ask the union)
I suspect Nagin really is our future, and I cannot laugh.
Linda has also publicly stated that she's inclined to replace Ramsey.
It's amusing to read Jememy's attempts to paint Fenty, who wants police on foot beats, has come out for zero tolerence ala the "Broken Window Theory" and who wants MPD management to submit "Crime Eradication Plans", as the agent of inaction.
What a troll.
I thought "Jeremy" sounded familiar. From Marc Fisher's blog several days back. What a hack:
I'm really bothered by Adrian Fenty and his approach to crime issues.
I am still shocked about the 'execution style' killing of 17-year-old Cynthia Gray on Benning Road a few weeks ago.
This kind of crime is downright disgusting. And in the midst of this chaos DC residents have to choose a mayor.
Some say that Fenty is running neck and neck with Linda Cropp, but I have no confidence Fenty can keep my neighborhood in Ward Eight safe.
Linda Cropp has been tough on crime. She is going to work hard to keep our streets safe.
Cropp will take strong action to crack down on crime in our neighborhoods in order to protect our seniors and children.
I am voting for Linda Cropp for Mayor on Tuesday, September 12th.
Posted by: Walter Cooper | September 7, 2006 03:36 PM
So people aren't allowed to oppose Ramsey unless they've personally conducted a candidate search and identified a replacement? It's certainly an interesting way to shut down criticism.
Should people be allowed to complain about crime if they haven't researched, written, and implemented their own crime plans?
Maybe Ramsey really is the best police chief DC can possibly get, but I doubt it.
Jeremy, I get that you're worried about crime, and understandably so. What I don't get is where this overwhelming faith in Cropp as the savior comes from. A crime emergency is declared (although crime hasn't actually increased), and the council throws together a plan and passes it quickly in order to be seen as doing something -- a little like the Patriot Act. Sorry, but I'm not convinced.
One thing I have doubts about is that the plan involves hiring a bunch of new cops quickly -- something which hasn't worked out at all well in the past. We don't need a bunch of incompetents or worse on the streets in uniform.
Jeremy, I wrote a long comment but it seems to have disappeared into the ether like a distressing number of DCist comments, and thanks to the AJAX-ification my browser doesn't remember it either (sometimes the old ways are best).
In any case, my basic point was that I get that you are worried about crime, quite understandably, but I fail to understand why you have such faith in Cropp as your savior, or in the council's crime plan, which was thrown together and passed in a short time for the purpose of convincing the public that they were doing something about the "crime emergency".
Sinclair Skinner would make a great police chief.
Sinclair Skinner would make a great police chief.
Linda Cropp would fight crime? With what? Her matronly good looks?
She's had 30 years in DC government to foster real action on crime. And she's come up with nothing.
She was Council Chair not long after Barry's famous Class of 91, in which he purposely hired drug addicts and felons onto the force. What did Cropp do about it? Nothing? We've spent the last 15 years trying to get rid of these losers.
Cropp as Council Chair (and before) has been totally ineffective in the crime war. In large part because she refused to see quality of life issues (aggressive panhandling, living in parks, public defecation, etc) as a huge part of what made DC suck for so long.
I honestly don't have a lot of faith and confidence in Fenty or his administration. Fenty reminds me of George W. Bush in terms of style and experience and I hope he proves, if elected, to be a better mayor than Bush is president and that DC can survive a badly run and inexperienced administration. I just hope that our general momentium over the last 8 years can sustain us through lackluster leadership.
Of course this could all be easily avoided by electing Linda Cropp.
-- Steve
Keep 'em! He's done some good work.
Crime, crime, crime....
That is the issue that will decide the election for DC’s mayor.
Residents of the District from all eight wards are looking for someone who will be tough on crime and take concretes steps to protect Washingtonians.
It is CLEAR that leader is Linda Cropp.
I'm impressed with Cropp's clear and feasible plan that will decrease crime and restore order on our streets.
Cropp has run her campaign like a tested and proven leader, while her opponent has tried to pull the wool over the eyes of voters with a flimsy public relations campaign.
But when you peel back Fenty’s onion, there is nothing there.
Certainly no REAL plan to get at the heart of the crime emergency and bring about safety and security.
Linda Cropp is the person to vote for on Tuesday.
Am I the only one disgusted by the amount of political posturing on this site lately? Honest comments from DCist regulars aside, it's getting extremely tiring separating the politics from the actual content here. But I guess that's just a symptom of living in DC.
Am I the only one disgusted by the amount of political posturing on this site lately? Honest comments from DCist regulars aside, it's getting extremely tiring separating the politics from the actual content here.
For the most part, regulars here are savvy enough to distinguish between a lurker who finally decides to sound off and a campaign volunteer who's posting boilerplate.
Considering the coming elections, I've been impressed with how mild-mannered the local politics comments have been. Could be much worse, and it will all be over tomorrow when, unless Johns is elected, we'll be the recipients of a shiny new ineffective mayor. :-)
Here, here on Johns. And do certain campaign posters not think we can recognize the same writing style, if posted with different names? I mean, come on, some don't even try to disguise the fact that they are using the same post over and over. Ridiculous.
Seems to me, that in many respects, Ramsey has done a decent job during his tenure. Crime is down in a lot of neightborhoods that were just horrible not too long ago, though many are still neglected and have seen little, if any, change. One thing I like about Marie Johns, in particular, is that she envisions strategies that has crime reduction as a generational plan vice a response to a particular incedent in a rich part of the city.
If we are lucky enough to select Marie in tomorrow's primary, I am sure the police chief will be able to make a case for solutions that simply might not have been possible under Williams (or his protege Cropp) or Barry (or his protege Fenty.)
For anyone who is undecided, perhaps this short video can supply some info you don't currently have:
Meet Marie Johns!
Jem:
Calling Cropp a protege of Williams (or Fenty a protege of Barry) doesn't inspire confidence in your grasp of reality.
Both have been endorsed by those respective mayors. It was actually a more tounge-in-cheek reference than anything else since those two men have endorsed those two candidates, but the point remains - neither Cropp nor Fenty have a record or a leg to stand on in this race. They have had time and opportunity to make a substantial difference and didn't. They have no solid plans to do anything other than get elected. Marie Johns is the only candidate who is both qualified for the job and has a record of accomplishment to prove it. She also has specific, concrete strategies to take the prosperity DC has enjoyed in recent years to those neighborhoods who have been passed on by the like of Adrian Fenty and Linda Cropp. My grasp on reality is just fine, thank you very much.
The best thing for the city would be to show him the door, the department is full of mismanagement and unfair labor practices. What is sad is that he has made MPDC look good on the outside but look what he has done on the inside to all his officers. Once Asst. Police Chief told an officer when he was diagnosed with PTSD after three officer shootings "the department is sympatric to this officers needs but he was trained for this"...Can you ever be trained to see three of your friends die in the line of duty...Come on, is that the kind of response the Rank in File should make....If your and officer on the department and your not shooting hoops with Ramsey you better watch you back. As for Ramsey's OPR, they only interview "SELECT" people in a case...The entire management of the MPDC is a joke..And citizens wonder why they don't get more from the street officers, well it is because of Ramsey and Management, they have put these officers in a situation that if they look in the wrong direction they will be fired...Look at how many lawsuits the department currently has pending and UNFAIR labor lawsuits at that.... Why would Ramsey have any obligation to be fair to the citizen's when his is not fair to his own officers.