Title 5 — Police, Firefighters, Medical Examiner, and Forensic Sciences.

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When promotions are being made in the Departments, the holders of such medals shall be preferred to other members of said Departments, other things being equal.

To provide for the cost of such medals there is hereby authorized to be appropriated annually such sum as the Mayor of the District of Columbia may deem necessary for the purpose.

Any trial board of the Metropolitan Police force or the Fire Department of the District of Columbia shall have the power to issue subpoenas in the name of the Chief Judge of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to compel witnesses to appear and testify and/or to produce…

Any wilful false swearing on the part of any witness before any trial board mentioned in § 5-1001 as to any material fact shall be deemed perjury and shall be punished in the manner prescribed by law for such offense.

If any witness, having been personally summoned, shall neglect or refuse to obey the subpoena issued in § 5-1001, then in that event the chairman of the trial board may report that fact to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia or 1 of the judges thereof and said Court, o…

Each member of the trial boards shall take an oath to be administered by the Chief Clerk of the Police Department for the faithful and impartial performance of the duties of the office.

After July 1, 1902, the several provisions of subchapter I of this chapter shall be applicable to and enforceable in any investigation or examination of any municipal matter by the Mayor of the District of Columbia, and the Council of the District of Columbia with respect to func…

(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, no corrective or adverse action against any sworn member or civilian employee of the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department shall be commenced more than 90 days, not including Saturdays, Sundays, or legal holidays,…

The Chief of Police and the Fire Chief shall, not later than January 15 of each calendar year, beginning in 2006, deliver a report to the Mayor and the Council concerning misconduct and grievances filed by or against members of their respective departments. The report shall conta…

For the purposes of this subchapter, the term: (1) “Chief” means the Chief of the Department. (2) “Conditional retirement” means that a member has retired or resigned from the Department while under disciplinary investigation for serious misconduct. (3) “Department” means the Fir…

The Department shall complete a disciplinary investigation, including issuing findings pursuant to the general orders, of a member regardless of whether that member resigns or retires while under investigation.

(a) If a member of the Department retires or resigns while under disciplinary investigation, that member shall be deemed to be in conditional retirement until the disciplinary investigation is completed and factual findings are made. (b) A member who is in conditional retirement …

(a) The Department shall set the level of discipline for a member in conditional retirement as if he or she continued to be a member of the Department. (b) A member in conditional retirement who would have received suspension as discipline had he or she remained a member of the D…

Penalties assessed against a member in conditional retirement as provided in § 5-1054 shall be treated as a debt owed to the District of Columbia government, pursuant to § 1-629.03, and may be collected by the District of Columbia government, pursuant to § 1-629.04, or by any oth…

A member in conditional retirement may challenge the imposition of penalties imposed by §§ 5-1054 and 5-1055 in an administrative proceeding before the District of Columbia Office of Employee Appeals, pursuant to subchapter I of Chapter 5 of Title 2 [§ 2-501 et seq.].

This subchapter shall apply upon adoption of regulations by the Chief to implement the provisions of this chapter. The Chief shall adopt such regulations within 60 days after March 11, 2015.

The Council of the District of Columbia finds that: (1) The District of Columbia delegated to the Metropolitan Police Department (“MPD”) the vital task of protecting the safety of persons and property in the District of Columbia. This task is difficult, dangerous, and sensitive. …

The purpose of this subchapter is to establish an effective, efficient, and fair system of independent review of citizen complaints against police officers in the District of Columbia, which will: (1) Be visible to and easily accessible to the public; (2) Investigate promptly and…

For purposes of this subchapter, the term: (1) “Board” means the Police Complaints Board. (2) “Complaint examiner” means the person designated by the Executive Director to determine the merits of a complaint. (3) “Executive Director” means the head of the Office of Police Complai…

(a) There is established a Police Complaints Board (“Board”). The Board shall be composed of 5 members, one of whom shall be a member of the MPD, and 4 of whom shall have no current affiliation with any law enforcement agency. All members of the Board shall be residents of the Di…

(a) There is established an Office of Police Complaints (“Office”). (b) The Office shall be headed by an Executive Director. The Executive Director shall be an attorney who is an active member in good standing of the District of Columbia Bar. The Board shall appoint the Executive…

(a) The Executive Director shall employ qualified persons or utilize the services of qualified volunteers, as necessary, to perform the work of the Office, including the investigation of complaints. The Executive Director may employ persons on a full-time or part-time basis, or r…

(a) The Office shall have the authority to receive and to dismiss, conciliate, mediate, or adjudicate a citizen complaint against a member or members of the MPD, and any other agency pursuant to subsection (j) of this section that alleges abuse or misuse of police powers by such …

A complaint may be dismissed on the following grounds: (1) The complaint is deemed to lack merit; (2) The complainant refuses to cooperate with the investigation; or (3) If, after the Executive Director refers a complaint for mediation, the complainant willfully fails to particip…

(a) When, in the determination of the Executive Director, there is reason to believe that the misconduct alleged in a complaint or disclosed by an investigation of the complaint may be criminal in nature, the Executive Director shall refer the matter to the United States Attorney…

(a) If deemed appropriate by the Executive Director, and if the parties agree to participate in a conciliation process, the Executive Director may attempt to resolve a complaint by conciliation. (b)(1) The conciliation of a complaint shall be evidenced by a written agreement sign…

(a) If the Executive Director refers a complaint for investigation, the Executive Director shall assign an investigator to investigate the complaint. (b) If the complainant refuses to cooperate in the investigation, the Executive Director may dismiss the complaint in accordance w…

(a) Upon receipt of a complaint file in which one or more allegations in a complaint has been sustained, the Police Chief shall cause the file to be reviewed within 5 working days after receiving the complaint file. This review shall not be conducted by persons from the same orga…

(a) An order of the Executive Director dismissing a complaint shall be a final resolution of the complaint by the Office. Such order shall be neither appealable to nor reviewable by any other entity, administrative or judicial. (b) An order of the Executive Director dismissing a …

(a) The MPD shall have full authority, under the procedures established pursuant to § 5-133.06, to initiate disciplinary proceedings against an officer of the MPD with respect to a charge of misconduct within the scope of § 5-1107 prior to the timely filing of a complaint with th…

(a) There are authorized such funds as may be necessary to support the Board and the Office. (b) The establishment of the Board and the Office are dependent upon the availability of appropriated funds. (c) Any entitlement to compensation under this chapter for services rendered s…

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For purposes of this chapter: (1) “State” means the several states of the United States, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Guam. (1-a) “State agent” means any person compensated directly or indirectly by a state or who in any way assists in the administration o…

(a) Notwithstanding any other law or provision of law, including any executive agreements or understandings, any state official coming into the District of Columbia: (1) to enforce that state’s laws relating to tobacco or tobacco products, including any law levying a tax on tobac…

The Mayor of the District of Columbia is authorized and directed to accept and maintain for the District of Columbia the gift of a memorial fountain to the members of the Metropolitan Police Department; provided, that the design and model of the memorial fountain are approved by …

(a) Any officer or member of the Metropolitan Police force or of the Fire Department of the District of Columbia, who served in the Armed Forces of the United States during the period beginning May 1, 1940, and ending December 31, 1946, and: (1) whose name appeared during such se…

No officer or member of the Metropolitan Police force or of the Fire Department of the District of Columbia shall, by reason of the enactment of § 5-1302, be: (1) Reduced in rank or grade; or (2) Entitled to any compensation for any period prior to July 1, 1947.

(a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply, unless the context requires otherwise: (1) “Authorizing official” means the Mayor of the District of Columbia in the cases of the Metropolitan Police force and the Fire Department of the District of Columbia, and …

If an officer or member of the Metropolitan Police force, the Fire Department of the District of Columbia, or the United States Park Police force engages in educational course work in police or fire science or administration, and, if he is eligible for payments or reimbursements …

For the purpose of §§ 5-1306 to 5-1309, “emergency” means a condition or circumstance in which an individual is or is reasonably believed by the person transmitting a communication referred to in § 5-1307 to be in imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm or in which proper…