Union Seeks Probe, Says Youth Office Understaffed

The labor union representing D.C. police officers told the city's inspector general in a letter yesterday that the police department's Youth Investigations Branch is understaffed and in disarray, with scores of reports of missing juveniles "piled on the floor of an office and not assigned to a detective for months or years."

"Given the commitment by the mayor to safeguard the children of this city, and the existence of several high-profile cases in which the District government failed to carefully track and provide for the safety of juveniles, it is simply beyond comprehension that the department has continued to ignore the warning of its employees on this matter," the union said, asking Inspector General Charles J. Willoughby to investigate.

The letter, from Kristopher Baumann, chairman of the labor committee of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 1, criticizes Chief Cathy L. Lanier and several high-ranking officers, saying they "inexplicably will not act to correct the existing serious problems" despite "repeated requests" from investigators in the unit and others.

Traci Hughes, a department spokeswoman, said late yesterday that officials had not had time to study the letter and formulate a response to the allegations.

Baumann said the unit has four investigators to handle what those officers estimate "are over 4,000 reports of missing children each year." Police officials said many of the cases involve adolescents who are possible runaways.

The unit has no system for ensuring the accuracy of its recordkeeping, no process to "ensure the cases are tracked and assigned," and no system to determine whether an unassigned report has been lost, Baumann wrote.

"All of these systemic failures are potential precursors to a tragedy or series of tragedies involving a missing juvenile," the letter says. "Given the potential risk to the children involved and the department's inaction, investigation by an outside agency is necessary."