There have been certain demonstrations in front of the White House, again not against the people of the District of Columbia but against the head of our Government and its policies.

Let us take the recent incident of the bombing of the Soviet Embassy. Here is a very tense situation involving a foreign power with which we are constantly walking on egg shells. Is this something that our Government should rely upon a local controlled and managed police department to take care of, or do we in the Congress have a lot at stake ourselves and should we be concerned with what type of police protection is given there was well as police diplomacy? This applies also to such things as the inaugural parade, which is a national event and not a city festival. It seems to me we are constantly faced with responsibilities for police activity here that are separate and apart from what should be your responsibilities as the local governing body. That is one of the principal reasons for my sponsorship of this legislation, to try to bring that Federal responsibility into proper focus. I have not ignored the fact that it would take away from the local government and the people living here some authority insofar as their own protection is concerned.

I think the fact that we have all these other interests involved calls for some overall coordinated approach to the problem.

Mr. FLETCHER. I believe, sir, we are providing that type of coordinated activity now. I believe what was done in the last few months indicates that coordination is there, it works effectively and efficiently. Mr. BROYHILL. You believe that the type of protection I am talking about is primarily a local responsibility of the District Government? Mr. FLETCHER. Back-up for police services, park police, capital police and that is what we do, the backup protection. We provide the coordinated activities required of our Department. I think we have done it in every single case that has come up in the last several months. We provided the type of coordination you talk about. It is an essential service that the District Government should provide.

Mr. BROYHILL. I am not talking about the service you provide. I am talking about whose responsibility it should be, and whether the Federal Government and the Congress do not have even a greater interest in those areas than does the City Government.

Mr. FLETCHER. I think we have equal interests, sir. I think our interest is just as strong as yours is in the protection of the Federal Government, and we provide that type of protection. We are required to, in my opinion.

Mr. BROYHILL. But insofar as our international problems are concerned. Do you think you have the same interests and responsibility there that the Federal Government would have?

Mr. FLETCHER. To provide for the protection of the people that are here either in residence or people doing business within the District, and visitors, yes, sir.

Mr. BROYHILL. That is all I have, Mr. Chairman.

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Fuqua.

Mr. FUQUA. Mr. Fletcher, I certainly appreciate your answering the questions. Referring to your colloquy with Mr. Broyhill and talking about the waste and inefficiency this bill might create, don't we have this existing now with the separate branches or jurisdictions of the police within the District?

Mr. FLETCHER. I don't believe so, sir. The waste and inefficiency I am talking about here of course, the Metropolitan Police is by far the largest, 3,100 authorized strength plus all the civilian employees, and so on-the type of waste and inefficiency I am talking about is we have systems of centralized purchasing, personnel, budget, various other services which the department should expect from a centralized government, rather than creating their own. You would have to create a separate system of services if you create an independent agency which would have to have its own personnel services, procurement services, budget system, and so on. We can provide that now through the central services now provided by the District Government.

Mr. FUQUA. Couldn't that be coordinated through the office of Police Commissioner that would be established under this legislation.

Mr. FLETCHER. They would have to provide some services; yes, sir. It is our opinion that we can provide it better under the existing systems and the improved systems which we are developing.

Mr. FUQUA. It may be he would want to adopt the system that the Metropolitan Police Department is using and have it available for all the others.

Mr. FLETCHER. The only way I know that that could be would be on a contract service. That is something that could be done, sir.

SUPPORT OF THE POLICE

Mr. FUQUA. I am concerned, as has been expressed here, about the support of the Police Department in the District of Columbia. I think certainly this is a matter that is of very great concern to all of us and to the man who is out on the firing line, so to speak, doing his job. It is important for him to feel that he does have the support of the residents of the District of Columbia and, for that matter, of the District Government. I have been appalled lately at some of the statements made by certain people in high places in our City Government regarding their feelings about the Police Department.

I would hope that we could have here the support for the Police Department and the man on the beat so that he would be aware that he did have this support. I think it has been generally supported in Congress through anti-crime legislation and pay raises, which I think are very, very good and adequate, and they must have our continued support and interest in the Police Department. I certainly hope that the police do feel that Congress has been supporting them and I hope that we can in the coming months rely on this. I want to say that I think the action that was taken recently, the affirmative action in closing Resurrection City, proved what could be done when you meet these situations with dispatch and firmness. I want to commend those in authority.

Is there any coordination now between all the services that are mentioned, the White House Police, Secret Service, Park Police, and Metropolitan Police? Who is the overall chief?

Mr. FLETCHER. There is no overall chief as far as the various law enforcement agencies are concerned. However, there is effective coordination any time it is required.

Mr. FUQUA. Only through coordination?

Mr. FLETCHER. The working relationships of the various Chiefs is very good, very close. I think there are representatives here on the various agencies who can attest to that fact. I think the coordination required during the Poor People's Campaign points to the fact that, in fact, we can coordinate effectively and very well, and that it is provided when needed.

Mr. FUQUA. Should there be disagreements among the various chiefs as to the methods or procedures to be used, how is this resolved?

Mr. FLETCHER. It is based on the jurisdiction in which the problem occurs. If it is on Capitol Hill it would be resolved by the Chief of the Capitol Police; if it is on park property, it would be resolved by the Chief of the Park Service. It is based on back-up, and the decision is based on the geograph and jurisdiction of the problem.

Mr. FUQUA. That is all.

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Winn?

Mr. WINN. I have no questions.

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Gude?

Mr. GUDE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

FUNCTIONS OF POLICE

Mr. Fletcher, has there ever been a study made of the amount of duty time which the Metropolitan Police put into servicing such functions as Embassy receptions, visiting dignitaries from foreign countries, inaugural parades, other festivities?

Mr. FLETCHER. I don't believe there has. Has there, Chief?

Chief LAYTON. I don't have the figures with me, Mr. Fletcher. but we do keep a record of assignments to those various functions. (See p. 43.)

The CHAIRMAN. Would the gentleman yield?

Mr. GUDE. Yes.

The CHAIRMAN. I might add I would like to know how much time they spend when the President is contemplating making a trip? I understand sometimes these policemen stand on duty two or three hours, hundreds of them, waiting for the President to leave town. You might add that statistic in also.

Mr. GUDE. Yes, this is the kind of thing I was thinking of, exactly. I wouldn't suggest that the committee get a report, because I think it would mean a lot of paper work for half a dozen men to probably find out what time is spent in a year, but I think anyone can realize that the size of our police force is proportionately much larger because of this amount of duty. I am, of course, a native of this area. I have never heard any serious criticism of the manner in which the Metropolitan Police have backed up the respective forces as far as inaugural parades or events or functions involving visiting dignitaries or of the manner in which they handled such incidents as the bombing of an embassy or a threatened bombing, or this type of thing. Of course, it is always a question about procedure, and somebody can always secondguess, but I have never heard criticism of the manner in which the Metropolitan Police have backed up or performed their functions as Federal police serving the Federal establishment.

I think the Police Department has a great record in this area. It seems to me that it is going to continue. You all are a little bit in the position, after the disorders in April, of being criticized for the fact

that there was a tremendous problem; and this can be brought down on your head because you all did not function properly; and then after the disorders following Senator Kennedy's death the thing was handled very well and, well, you all are not responsible, it was because of the Police Force that was established a number of years ago. So, you know, you can play this thing on both sides of the street.

Thank you. I certainly appreciate your coming here and appearing before us. The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Adams?

SCOPE OF BILL

Mr. ADAMS. I have some questions involving how this might work. Mr. Fletcher, I know you have been in other governments in urban areas. This bill indicates that an independent office within the District of Columbia would be established. In your opinion, would that mean, then, for example, that the appropriation would come under the Legislative budget, or would it come under the District of Columbia budget as an independent office within that government?

Mr. FLETCHER. My understanding, sir, is that it would be a separate budget. I don't think the legislation speaks as to the way in which that would be handled.

Mr. ADAMS. In other words, we would have another Appropriation Bill to present and be brought up and passed on by both sides, and so on, that would deal with salaries, retirement, everything else, just as with the Post Office Department?

Mr. FLETCHER. I assume so. The testimony was made on Friday before this committee by one of the Congressmen, indicating there would be a saving by eliminating this from the budget of the District of Columbia, which assumes then it would be an independent budget. Mr. ADAMS. I see. Now, who would prepare this budget and present it and go through the hearings, and so on? The Police Commissioner? Mr. FLETCHER. I assume so, sir. Again, the bill is silent as to that fact, but I assume it would be the new Commissioner.

Mr. ADAMS. He would need a Budget Director and staff?
Mr. FLETCHER. I don't know.

Mr. ADAMS. All right. I have indicated that you have been with other urban jurisdictions, and I would now draw on your experience from around the country. Do you know of any place in the country where the relationship of the State governments to the local governments is such that you have the States now coming in and taking over on local law enforcement from the State level?

Mr. FLETCHER. Not in terms of the administration of the department. Of course, many States do preempt police fields in the way in which the law can be enforced, in the way in which laws may be adopted. Many States do, in fact, pass legislation which controls the law, but the enforcement of it would still remain the responsibility of the local jurisdiction.

Mr. ADAMS. Now, the next thing: As I understand it, if this bill were to pass, the Park Police, the Zoological Police, the White House Police, the Capitol Police, would all then be under a unit that would be within the District Government; is that correct?

Mr. FLETCHER. No. It would be under Congress, sir, in my understanding.

Mr. ADAMS. It says an independent office, with the title of Commissioner of Police of the District of Columbia, established in the gov ernment of the District of Columbia. So I am trying to determine if you are going to put this in the District of Columbia. The only thing that I see is that an appointment would be made from Capitol Hill of this Commissioner and this group. Do you have any comment on that?

Mr. FLETCHER. I believe it would be under the control of Congress, as it is written. The appointing authority would be the Speaker of the House, the President Pro Tem, and the advisory board created by this bill would be advisory to Congress.

Mr. ADAMS. Therefore, within the Police Department the office would come directly under the Congress, in your opinion?

Mr. FLETCHER. That is my understanding, or directly to the Police Commissioner who would be appointed by Congress.

Mr. ADAMS. There was some comment made on what is happening to police officers in their relationships with people in the District of Columbia. I would like to get some idea percentagewise, because I know the sensation is nearly always reported and the day-to-day activity is not. Can you give me or can there be supplied by the District Government the number of arrests that occur within a month and a breakdown within that of those in which some degree of altercation occurs? As I read, there may be one of these a month, sometimes maybe two, and I would like to get some idea statistically whether this is a very small thing. I suspect it is, with a 3,100-man police force and an 800,000 population city. My guess is your arrests are running several hundreds per month and one or two incidents out of several hundred would not bother me as much as if there was an incident almost every time. Could you supply that or could it be supplied through the Department? I will ask the other witnesses later, but I would like to get some perspective on this.

Mr. FLETCHER. Yes, we can provide that for the record.

Mr. ADAMS. Next, refers to what it has been asked by Mr. Fuqua and Mr. Broyhill. I would like to get, as part of the statistics, the percentage of time spent by the Metropolitan Police Department on what we refer to as local crimes, or day-to-day law enforcement business. This is the burglary, robbery, traffic citation, and so on, in comparison to their Federal operation and, in particular, I would like a comparison

in terms of arrests.

Mr. FLETCHER. All right, sir.

(The information subsequently submitted follows:)

GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA,

METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT,
Washington, September 9, 1968.

Hon. JOHN L. MCMILLAN,

Chairman, House District Committee,
U.S. House of Representatives,

Washington, D.O.

DEAR CONGRESSMAN MCMILLAN: This is the information requested for you by Mr. James T. Clark in his letter of August 7, 1968 and August 9, 1968.

Mr. Adams requested the following information: how many arrests within a month involved some degree of altercation; how much time did the Metropolitan Police Department spend on "local crimes"; and how much time was spent on