D.C. police expect to boost the number of officers on the force to 3,800 this week, bolstering street patrols while meeting a target the department has been struggling to reach for years, police officials said.
Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey waged a campaign last year to win funding from the D.C. Council to increase the size of the force by 175 officers. Council members gave him the go-ahead and set an Oct. 1 deadline for reaching the 3,800 mark.
"Look at the responsibilities we have in D.C.," Ramsey said. "With the federal presence here, the security issues, day-to-day crime-fighting activity, you go through that number of people pretty quickly. I think it will be a victory to have 3,800 officers on board."
It could be a short-lived triumph. The department's attrition rate has risen sharply this year. At the same time, the number of applicants has plummeted, in part because of tougher education requirements for new officers, police officials said.
Police officials have been attempting to reach the 3,800 threshold for seven years, contending that it would provide enough officers to effectively patrol neighborhoods and handle detective work and other demands. But previous efforts failed because of a lack of money or the force's inability to hire enough recruits.
Through last week, the department had 3,786 officers on the job, including 207 in the police academy. Ramsey said 14 more officers will be on board as early as tomorrow.
For years, the department has been dogged by criticism from community activists and about how its top commanders deploy officers. Ramsey also has been pressured by council members and others to get more of the current officers on the street. About 11 percent of the force is too sick or too injured to handle full duties, police say.
D.C. Council member Kathy Patterson (D-Ward 3), who chairs the Judiciary Committee, cautioned that it remains to be seen whether more officers will lead to a reduction in crime.
The District already has more police per capita than any other large U.S. city. Yet it is ranked among the nation's most violent cities, although the number of killings is down significantly this year.
"I think the numbers are not the issue, but the effectiveness of the policing and the effectiveness of the leadership are the issues," Patterson said.
Last year, Patterson favored setting a lower target and expressed skepticism that the department would be able to recruit enough officers to hit the 3,800 mark or deploy them effectively.
"We need better policing, not necessarily more policing," Patterson said. "We just need more effective management down the line."
The staffing increase cost the city about $11.6 million.
Ramsey said he is confident that he will be able to keep the workforce at 3,800 by hiring replacements for officers who leave.
