Police hiring, training, and disciplinary requirements in Washington, D.C.
| Police hiring, training, and discipline |
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| • Police collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) • Ballotpedia CBA dashboard •Reform proposals •CBA areas of inquiry and disagreement •Arguments about police collective bargaining • Index of articles about criminal justice policy |
| Click here for more analysis of police hiring, training, and disciplinary requirements by state and city on Ballotpedia |
This page provides an overview of policies related to the hiring, training, and discipline of police officers in Washington, D.C. It is part of an analysis of police union collective bargaining agreements and related arrangements with police unions concerning hiring, training, and disciplinary requirements in the 50 states and top 100 cities by population.
Background
Through the lens of 40 research questions related to police hiring, training, and discipline, Ballotpedia examined the collective bargaining agreements, statutes, and regulatory codes governing the 50 states and the top 100 US cities by population.
Some of the hiring, training, and discipline standards for police officers not established by statutes or regulations arise from negotiations with police unions. Those negotiations are often codified in collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). Those agreements are the contracts that states and cities sign following negotiations with police unions. Some states and cities restrict collective bargaining, but may still negotiate with police unions using other methods. After negotiating with the unions, those jurisdictions sometimes establish police standards through documents including memoranda of understanding or meet and confer agreements.
Results
The tables below link to each question Ballotpedia used to analyze the states and cities and indicates how Washington, D.C. handles police hiring, training, and discipline. To see the provisions Ballotpedia used to support these results, click here.
CBA basics
| CBA basics | Results |
|---|---|
| Is there a CBA with the police union? | YES |
| Is the current CBA publicly available online? | YES |
Discipline and accountability
| Discipline and accountability | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA forbid the transfer or reassignment of an officer as a form of discipline? | NO |
| Do officers have a right to request third-party arbitration for grievances, including over disciplinary actions? | NO |
| Does the CBA contain provisions related to discipline for misconduct? | YES |
Primary discipline authority: City of Washington, D.C, Police Department; Types: Suspension, demotion, discharge, other disciplinary actions; Restricted aspects: N/A; Challenge/appeal process: Union grievance procedure | |
| Does the CBA explicitly allow for a state ombudsman outside particular police departments to hold law enforcement officers accountable for misconduct? | NO |
Legal limitations or provisions
| Legal limitations or provisions | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the city CBA prohibit felons from becoming law enforcement officers? | NO |
| Are there any statutes or regulations that prohibit collective bargaining with police unions? | NO |
Training and counseling
Community relations and oversight
| Community relations and oversight | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA reference citizen review boards? | NO |
| Does the CBA have provisions related to community policing? | NO |
Investigations
| Investigations | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA contain provisions related to misconduct investigations? | YES |
Investigatory questioning, includes types. Does not give a timeline for deadline to finish investigation. Evidence must be disclosed. Article 12, Discipline section deleted from CBA | |
| Does the CBA require notice to officers of investigations? | YES |
Conditions: N/A; Timeline: N/A; Content: Must include the type of investigation, the names of complainants, and people present during interview. | |
| Does the CBA determine a timeline for investigations? | NO |
| Does the CBA contain provisions related to compensation during misconduct investigations? | NO |
Evidence and records
| Evidence and records | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA have provisions related to the use of body-worn cameras or body-worn camera video evidence? | NO |
| Does the CBA regulate processes for retaining officer disciplinary records? | YES |
Record storage: City-specific database; Storage authority: N/A; Types of records: Suspensions; Timeline: N/A; Access and use: Employees have access to personnel files; Use in decisions: Members are ineligible for promotions for 1 year if demoted or suspended for 15 days or more, and ineligible for current promotions if suspended for 10 days or more. | |
Qualifications and evaluation
| Qualifications and evaluation | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA require performance evaluations? | YES |
Required; outlined in General Order 201 .20, Performance Rating Plan | |
| Does the CBA restrict licensing procedures for law enforcement officers or departments? | NO |
| Evaluations | Results |
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Union authority
| Union authority | Results |
|---|---|
| Does the CBA limit union authority to pay and benefits issues? | NO |
| Does the CBA give the union the power to approve or disapprove new training programs for law enforcement officers? | NO |
| Does the CBA have provisions involving the union in the process for promotions, unit assignments, and transfers? | NO |
Management retains right to promote, transfer, hire, assign | |
See also
Footnotes
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