COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
THE JOHN A. WILSON BUILDING
1350 AVENUE, NW
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20004

 

David Grosso Committee Member
Councilmember At?Large Health .
Chairperson, Committee on Education Human Serwces

Judiciary and Public Safety
September 7, 2017

Peter Newsham, Chief of Police
Metropolitan Police Department
300 Indiana Ave., NW, 5th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20001

ChiefNewsham,

As you know from my recent letter, I am concerned that-we are not doing enough to prevent the
militarization of law enforcement in the District of Columbia. As a result, I am troubled by the planned
participation this week ofa Metropolitan Police Department leader in a training with military forces and
intelligence services in Israel, known as the National Counter?Terrorism Seminars. While I believe strongly
in cross?cultural exchanges and the importance oftraining for our law enforcement officers, learning from
military advisors is not what local law enforcement needs. Indeed, numerous watchdog organizations,
including the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International, have
documented human rights violations by Israeli police and security forces.

Although MPD participation in this program is longstanding, I encourage you to reconsider it and instead
focus officers? time and other departmental resources on trainings that emphasize non-violent conflict
resolution, and community relationship building. Ifthere are similar exchanges with otherjurisdictions,
outside or inside the United States, I ask that you re-evaluate them as well, to ensure that they are in
keeping with D.C. values. I appreciate your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,



David Grosso
Council ofthe District of Columbia
Chairperson, Committee on Education