Overview
A report authored by Steptoe and the Bromwich Group and issued by the Office of the District of Columbia Auditor (ODCA) has received significant coverage from The Washington Post and other media outlets. The report was the result of a months-long review of the Metropolitan Police Department's policies and training related to officer uses of force as well as MPD's investigations of use of force incidents. The report includes a detailed analysis of four deaths at the hands of MPD officers that occurred in 2018 and 2019 and made a number of recommendations to MPD focused on promoting trust and fostering accountability while ensuring the safety of MPD's officers and the public-at-large. MPD's Interim Chief of Police, Robert Contee III, has already committed to implementing the report's recommendations and referred to the report as "an example of critical partnerships that [MPD] will use to improve our service to the community." Washington DC's Police Reform Commission also referred to the report's findings in its own recommendations to the DC City Council.
The effort was led by Michael Bromwich, senior counsel at Steptoe and founder/managing principal at the Bromwich Group. Bromwich has deep experience as a law enforcement consultant and compliance monitor, and served as Inspector General of the Department of Justice (DOJ). He also served as monitor for a memorandum of agreement on police use of force between the District and the DOJ from 2002 to 2008. Steptoe partner Michael Scavelli, whose practice includes conducting internal investigations for a range of clients, and Steptoe associate Emma Marshak provided significant contributions to the investigation and report. The review team also included three preeminent law enforcement experts, Dennis Nowicki, Kerr Putney, and Ann Marie Dougherty, each of whom previously served as senior officials in major police departments around the country.
The Steptoe/Bromwich Group team has been asked by ODCA to draft a follow-up report that analyzes two more recent officer-involved fatalities. That report will be published later this year.
Read more on the ODCA report at the following: