Photo by Matt Cohen.

A second police oversight public hearing will be held next week by the D.C. Council, this time with Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier also speaking before the Council.

The Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety, which is chaired by Councilmember Tommy Wells, (D-Ward 6), will hold a follow-up to their previous police oversight hearing on Monday, October 27 at 11 a.m. at the Wilson Building. The previous hearing, held earlier this month at Howard University’s School of Business, featured nearly 30 public witnesses testifying about the state of the Metropolitan Police Department’s policies and procedures, including the use of stop-and-frisk, jump-outs, and the egregious use of SWAT-like police teams.

“There is no question that there is a deep racism here,” Wells said of the MPD at the last hearing. Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie (D-Ward 5) agreed, saying how he’s been unfairly stopped and frisked by police so many times in his life that he’s lost count.

Unlike the last hearing, Chief Lanier will be present at Monday’s hearing to listen to and respond to public testimonies and questions from Councilmembers. “I look forward to hearing the Chief’s explanation of today’s police tactics,” Wells said in a statement, “and the steps she is taking to ensure everyone who makes contact with MPD is treated with dignity and respect.”

Anyone is welcome to testify and should submit written testimonies to ngoines@dccouncil.us.