Cythrosi t1_je8oy8m wrote on March 30, 2023 at 5:46 AM

Ah the blessed Congressional oversight some here were so desperate for. This entire hearing was largely spent shouting at or talking over the DC reps invited and entirely done for sound bites for campaigning. There was little discussion of things like the USAO issues, issues with police testimony aligning with the body cams, issues with the forensics lab, etc. Just a bunch of dogwhistles and completely uneducated assertions about the District and its residents.

Deanocracy t1_je8qj54 wrote on March 30, 2023 at 6:06 AM

We have only one issue. With USAO and their directives.

Need only sunlight on the problem. Demand media do it.

Instead wapo writes new stories that are press releases. Allowing them to say a crime lab shutdown n 2021 prevents prosecution when we can show lack of prosecution in 2019.

Neither party is your friend. Demand better now by every institution

BellbergDC t1_je9awbd wrote on March 30, 2023 at 10:50 AM

This is 💯 correct

AnonyJustAName t1_je9iody wrote on March 30, 2023 at 12:12 PM

A different committee oversees DOJ/USAO, this was the committee with oversight over DC. A joint hearing would have made sense.

Agree it seemed to be a waste of time. It seems they are going to hold more. Anyone here live in DC at the lead up to the control board? Feels kind of where this may head.

Cythrosi t1_je9jxfw wrote on March 30, 2023 at 12:23 PM

Unless the GOP takes the Senate and Presidency next year, there isn't going to be a control board. The Dems were absolutely hypocrites in regards to the criminal code reform, but they aren't going to go all in on a complete take over of the DC city government.

AnonyJustAName t1_je9rhcs wrote on March 30, 2023 at 1:26 PM

Got it. Hopefully not. My sense was that was mostly about finances but some @ crime so I wondered if that was a goal again. Hope the committee with oversight over DOJ joins or has own hearings. The fact that DC AG has a much higher prosecution rate using same lab and MPD should be looked into. It's not Graves, this has been a trend since late in Obama administration, across Trump and now Biden. So many cases declined and also undercharged and pled.

The provision where MPD cannot look at BWC footage before writing reports (not police involved shootings, everything else) seems unusual and like it is a cause of many cases not going forward per USAO. The rate of no papered cases seemed to tick up around the time BWC were implemented, maybe that legislation should be revisited?

The goal of public safety and incentives of USAO careers need to be better aligned, particularly as there is no electoral accountability. The reduction in funds for USAs could be gas on the dumpster fire in DC since we have no ability to fund elected prosecutors, court capacity, etc. Ugh.

annang t1_ject9ry wrote on March 31, 2023 at 1:55 AM

It’s not unusual to say you shouldn’t be allowed to see what the video shows before you write a report, so you can’t lie to make your report match the video. It’s standard in every reform recommendation for how to use BWC. Because testi-lying is rampant. No one is no papering cases because an officer says they turned left and it was actually right. They’re no papering cases because the gun isn’t where the officer swears it was, or the search wasn’t consensual or legal, or the officer is still making arrests despite having multiple documented credibility problems.