Ricketts Statement on Vote to Block D.C.’s Anti-Cop Law

May 16, 2023

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) released the following statement after the Senate voted to block Washington, D.C.’s new law that severely restricts the ability of city police to respond to violent crime and riots:

“Our capital city belongs to the entire nation. Washington, D.C.’s out-of-control violent crime is a threat to all Americans, and Congress has a responsibility to take action when the City Council continues to put anti-cop policies above the safety of the people who live, work, and do business here,” said Senator Ricketts. “Today, I am proud to join my colleagues in voting to block this misguided law and support the women and men in blue. President Biden signed our bipartisan repeal of the D.C. crime bill. He should do the same with the repeal of the anti-police bill.”

BACKGROUND

If enacted permanently, the D.C. Council’s anti-police law would strip officials of discretion to block the public release of sensitive body-camera footage, undermine consent-based searches as a legitimate and constitutional investigatory tool, and ban the use of time-tested crowd control interventions. The Act clearly undermines ordinary law enforcement and criminal justice methods, politicizes policing, and incentivizes future police officers to choose other careers. In fact, the D.C. Police Union reports that, “Since this Act was passed on an emergency basis in D.C., the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has lost over 1,200 police officers while only replacing 700.” MPD is likely at the lowest number of officers since the 1970s, at a time when violent crime is surging. Learn more about the Congressional Review Act to block the policy, led by Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH), here.

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