SAY NO TO ABUSE OF POWER IN D.C. – AMEND THE SECURE D.C. ACT

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We deserve to be safe from crime and from abuse of power. But the D.C. Council is now considering a bill with provisions that put both our safety and our rights at risk.

Among other measures, the Secure DC Act would give inappropriate powers to police and enable police harassment. Allowing officers to escape accountability, to harass people, and to collect DNA upon arrest without a conviction will not make D.C. safer. These types of provisions are not “public safety” solutions; they are measures that open the door for abuse of power.

Together, we can remove these abusive provisions from the Secure DC Act. Send Councilmembers a message urging them to say NO to abuse of power!

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Subject

I am emailing today to urge you to remove the provisions in the Secure DC Act, Bill 25-345, that open the door for abuse of power. I strongly oppose provisions that give inappropriate powers to police and that enable police harassment.

We deserve to be safe from crime and from abuse of power. Please work with your colleagues to remove these provisions, which would put both our rights and our safety at risk.

Message Body

Allowing officers to escape accountability, to harass people, and to collect DNA on arrest will not make D.C. safer. These types of provisions are not “public safety” solutions; they are measures that open the door for abuse of power.

When police officers are allowed to abuse their power without facing consequences, the public can understandably grow reluctant to interact with officers at all. The proposed changes to body-worn camera provisions would spread distrust of police. Such distrust undermines the legitimacy of law enforcement and erodes any sense of cooperation between harmed communities and the police.

Similarly, failed and ineffective “drug-free” zones and anti-mask provisions do little to prevent crime; instead, they open the door for police officers to harass people and violate our rights. The District can’t make it a crime to simply stand around, which may be why so-called “drug-free” zones were unanimously repealed in 2014, with then-Councilmember Bowser’s support. The anti-mask provision is especially troubling now, at a time when people regularly wear masks to protect themselves from COVID-19 and other illnesses.

The Secure DC Act also includes a provision that would erode the separation of powers that provides critical checks and balances to our justice system. Giving the Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) voting membership on the Sentencing Commission is an inappropriate expansion of power. MPD is responsible for investigating potential crimes and making arrests, and MPD already has an advisory role in shaping sentencing policy. In order to make policies that are fair and just, we must keep the separation of powers in place and not give MPD a voting membership.

Finally, I want to encourage you to keep the DNA collection provision out of the bill. Collecting DNA on arrest violates our privacy and our presumption of innocence. A person’s DNA inherently contains the most sensitive, personal information about them, and being arrested isn’t the same as being guilty. Our system of justice relies on due process – innocent until proven guilty. This provision does the opposite -- it treats certain people as guilty until proven innocent.

For these reasons, I urge you to remove these provisions from the Secure DC Act. Instead, I encourage you to pass legislation that advances a comprehensive public safety system that focuses on prevention, effectiveness, and accountability. 

Sincerely,

[First Name] [Last Name]

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SAY NO TO ABUSE OF POWER IN D.C. – AMEND THE SECURE D.C. ACT

Act Now

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