D.C. Police Union Endorses David Catania for Mayor

Photo by PoPville flickr user J Sonder

From a press release:

“Today, the District of Columbia Police Union endorsed David Catania for Mayor of the District of Columbia. The union represents approximately 3,600 police officers, detectives, and sergeants in the Metropolitan Police Department. It was founded in 1982 and is one of the city’s largest collective bargaining units. Catania welcomed the endorsement and spoke about the need to field the best trained and best equipped police department in the country.

“Last week, 21 people were shot in the District, including 6 people steps from where we are standing today,” said Catania. “I want our officers and our residents to know that, as Mayor, I will never neglect their safety. We can’t pretend that policing the District is the same as the suburbs.”

Residents of the Nation’s Capital live with elevated public safety and security risks, and they deserve the best police force in the country and Mayor who is capable of leading them, especially in a time of crisis. Catania noted the excellent work of the police department in recent years but said we must do a better job ensuring that our best officers do not leave the department. As Mayor, Catania will make it a priority to understand why great officers leave our police department and how we can stop it.

“If we lose an excellent officer to the suburbs because we don’t recognize the increased complexities of working in the District, then we have failed our residents,” said Catania. “I believe that recruiting, training, and maintaining an excellent police force decreases the possibility of mistrust between the police and the public.”