Mayor Muriel Bowser announced this morning that Peter Newsham will permanently lead the Metropolitan Police Department after six months as the temporary chief.
“Chief Newsham truly values and respects residents of Washington, D.C. and I know that he will be able to work together to stand up for and protect our D.C. values,” Mayor Bowser said at a press conference at the Wilson Building this morning. “And at the end of the day, he is the best person to be the best police chief for the best city in the world.”
More than 100 applicants applied for the position, according to The Washington Post. Opting against a national search, Bowser said she preferred to hire from inside the department, although she saw some applicants from outsiders. “The mayor’s decision sends a message to the rank and file that good work leads to promotions and maybe even becoming chief,” said D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, in a statement today. “Chief Newsham has done a solid job of leading the District’s police department… I have complete confidence in his ability to keep the city safe.”
Mayor Bowser named Newsham interim police chief in August, after Cathy Lanier announced her retirement from the force. In September, he was sworn in as Lanier moved on to head security for the National Football League. Bowser then delayed the permanent choice of a new chief until after the intensive months-long preparation for inauguration.
Newsham joined the police department in 1989 and served as an assistant chief of police since 2002. Before being appointed interim chief, he served as the head of the Investigative Services Bureau, which focuses on violent, property, sexual assault, and narcotic crimes.
As interim chief, Newsham has seen the department through police-involved shootings, a change in police body-worn camera policies, and the 2017 presidential inauguration and subsequent protests.
On Inauguration Day, lawyers filed a class action suit against D.C. Police alleging false arrests and excessive force. It claimed that many of the people arrested and charged had nothing to do with the property damage, and were journalists, legal observers, lawyers, medics, and peaceful protesters.
“This is a coveted position in policing and I am certain the folks that I competed against are some of the best the law enforcement has to offer in this country,” Newsham said as he accepted the position this morning.
He said that one of his priorities will be to fill officer vacancies as the department has faced low staffing and recruitment levels for years.
The D.C. Council has approved 4,000 officers on the force, which now numbers less than 3,800—a number that Lanier once said is the minimum threshold for effective policing in the city. Last year, Mayor Bowser announced two programs to boost hiring at the department. “We need to find ways to attract really good people,” Newsham said today.
He also said he will focus on building trust through community policing, enhancing police training, and increasing technology resources. And to sum it all up, he said he’ll be “committed to unbiased, fair, and constitutional policing, and everyone will know it—not just because we say it but because we do it.”
Lanier said in a statement today that having worked with Newsham for more than 25 years, “I know that he has what it takes to do the job,” according to NBC Washington. D.C. Attorney General Karl Raccine, who said he’s worked regularly with Newsham since 2015, said in a statement that the new chief has his “full confidence and support.”
And Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen, chair of the committee on the judiciary and public safety, said in a release that he’s looking forward to leading the council’s confirmation process for Newsham. And in addition to recruitment and community policing efforts, Allen says he’d like the new chief to enhance “the transparency of the department’s operations and data” and protect “our most vulnerable communities and residents.”
“I look forward to hearing from Interim Chief Newsham about his qualifications and vision for the department,” Allen said.
