DC Judiciary Committee Hearing on FY27 OUC and MPD Budgets – April 29, 2026

Councilmember Brooke Pinto (Ward 2) chaired a public hearing of the Judiciary Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety to review Mayor Bowser's proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budgets for the Office of Unified Communications (OUC) and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). The hearing took place on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, from 9:54 AM to 3:19 PM in Room 412 of the John A. Wilson Building. The proposed OUC budget is $60.2 million (a 7% decrease from FY26), while MPD's proposed budget is $688.5 million (a 14% increase, largely due to overtime and collective bargaining agreement costs). Councilmembers heard from 25 public witnesses and then questioned OUC Director Heather McGaffin and MPD Interim Chief Jeffrey Carroll.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Lisa Abrams (Hotel Association of Washington, D.C.) opposed the proposed 80-cent per night hotel occupancy fee to fund 911 technology, arguing hotels already contribute heavily and the fund has been diverted to non-technology purposes. She noted this is the fifth time the fee has been proposed.
• Veronica Mosqueta (Decrim Poverty Coalition) urged investment in a non-police crisis response system, citing that only 870 of 1.54 million 911 calls were diverted to 988 last year and highlighting the death of Clifford Brooks during a mental health crisis.
• Trupti Patel (ANC 2A03) called for independent verification of MPD crime data, accountability for misconduct, and transparency in discipline, urging reallocation of MPD funds to the Office of Attorney General's worker rights and consumer protection divisions.
• Michaela Deming (DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence) urged restoration of $6.3 million in cuts to domestic violence and victim services, noting a spike in domestic violence homicides despite overall crime drops. She argued MPD's $89 million increase could fund critical social services.
• Gregory Pemberton (DC Police Union) detailed MPD's staffing crisis (3,150 officers, down from 3,800 in six years), abusive mandatory overtime, and deplorable facility conditions. He supported the mayor's budget but stressed the need for wage increases in the upcoming collective bargaining agreement.
• Joey Ferguson (DFLOC DC) opposed the $7 million increase for contractual services, including expansion of Flock license plate readers, calling them warrantless surveillance that shares data with ICE. He noted MPD's former CIO now works for Flock Safety.
• Gregory Sakas (public witness) called the budget an "act of violence," citing cuts to school-based behavioral health and victim services while funding MPD overtime and surveillance. He urged reallocation to ERAP and other social programs.
• Ashley Anderson (DC Justice Lab) opposed the $81 million overtime budget (up from $39 million) and $7 million for surveillance technology, arguing these investments contradict evidence-based public safety. She called for expanding non-police crisis response and harm reduction centers.
• Rebecca Strauss (Federal City Council) generally supported the mayor's budget but noted no new funding for police facilities, which is a key recruitment and retention challenge.
• Bill Mefford (Festival Center) opposed MPD's 15% budget increase, citing collaboration with ICE and the need to fund domestic violence services, paid family leave, and rental assistance instead.
• Sequenley Gray (DC JOSP Justice) criticized MPD's overpolicing of communities of color, lack of transparency, and the youth curfew, calling for investment in access to justice and workers' rights programs.
• Frankie Seabron (Free DC) argued that MPD's budget increase is a reward for poor performance, while cuts to social safety nets harm communities. She called for progressive taxes to address the deficit.
• James Stroud (public witness) highlighted MPD's $41 million in surveillance spending since 2016, including $6.6 million on ShotSpotter, which he said is ineffective (86% of dispatches in Chicago resulted in no crime). He also criticized excessive stops and the addition of a PR staffer.
• Tanya Golash-Boza (professor) urged against increasing MPD's budget, citing racial profiling and nuisance policing. She said research shows no link between police spending and reduced firearm violence.
• Mr. Ringler (public witness) called for cutting ShotSpotter, Flock cameras, and Cellbrite Pathfinder, and reducing MPD's communications staff. He argued funds should go to ERAP, health care, and legal services.
• Fanny Gandhi (law student) criticized the juvenile curfew as a poor use of resources, noting it leads to stops and arrests without addressing root causes. She urged investment in third spaces for youth.
• Jataya Foster (law student) urged redirecting the proposed $21.5 million increase in patrol services to the Youth and Family Engagement Division for prevention programs.
• Jonah Goodman (public witness) detailed OUC dispatch errors, including a cardiac arrest call with 26 minutes of lost time, and criticized OUC's failure to investigate or comply with FOIA requests.
• Dave Stadter (Saturn 911 Communications) recounted a December 2025 cardiac arrest call where dispatchers failed to answer the radio seven times in four minutes, and OUC Director McGaffin's response falsely blamed FEMS. He urged passage of the bill giving FEMS medical director authority over EMS protocols.
• Paula Edwards (ANC 4A01) opposed cuts to OUC's budget, noting that 311 service requests are often closed without action by agencies like DPW and DDOT.
• Ty Hobson Powell (ACLU DC) urged rejection of the permanent youth curfew, citing racial profiling and trauma. He called for investment in mental health services, recreation, and employment for youth.
• Caroline Pryor (Empowered) criticized MPD's collaboration with federal agencies and the juvenile curfew, urging the committee to probe the Juvenile Investigative Response Unit and redirect funding to social services.
• Scott Goldstein (Power Ed) advocated for redirecting MPD signing bonuses and overtime funds to youth programming, safe passage, and conflict resolution. He argued that the curfew does not address root causes of youth gatherings.
• Devon Montgomery (Empowered) proposed redirecting $86 million in local overtime funds to social safety net programs, including youth mentorship, school-based behavioral health, and ERAP.
• John Payne (public witness) called for cutting surveillance technology (ShotSpotter, Flock, Cellbrite) and funding non-police crisis response and ERAP, citing MPD's collaboration with federal agencies.
• Janae Wilson (DC Safe) noted the long-standing partnership with MPD on domestic violence response but raised concerns about the $92 million increase in MPD's budget while victim services are cut. She called for a balanced approach and improvements in data collection and transparency.
• Abel Amin (Fair Budget Coalition) called for reallocating $100 million from MPD to DHS for ERAP, noting that MPD's overtime budget alone increased by $42 million.
• Talib Karim Mohammed (STEM for us) (after a dispute over political background) recommended reallocating funds from MPD to victim services and prevention programs, and criticized invasive surveillance technology.
• Christine Corey (public witness) detailed MPD's $6.6 million on ShotSpotter (ineffective in Chicago), $4 million on ALPRs, and $1.7 million on Cellbrite Pathfinder, arguing these funds should go to ERAP and other social programs.

Discussion Items

• Office of Unified Communications (OUC): Director Heather McGaffin presented the proposed $60.2 million budget, highlighting a 7% decrease from FY26. She noted that 97% of 911 calls are answered within 20 seconds, and that the agency is using AI for quality assurance and 311 overnight automation. Councilmembers questioned her on staffing (18 vacancies, 7 positions cut from 311), overtime usage (projected 3.1 million in FY26, budgeted 3.6 million for FY27), absenteeism (30% of shifts below minimum staffing per OIG report), and the hotel occupancy fee. McGaffin defended the fee as necessary to close a $7 million funding gap for next-generation 911 technology. She also discussed the agency's use of AI for quality assurance, which has analyzed 90,761 calls in 2026 compared to 35,000 in all of 2025.
• Metropolitan Police Department (MPD): Interim Chief Jeffrey Carroll presented the proposed $688 million budget, emphasizing a 14% increase primarily due to overtime and collective bargaining agreement costs. He highlighted the staffing crisis (3,157 sworn officers, a 50-year low) and proposed BSA changes to allow hiring recruits without college credits (60 credits earned during academy), expand the cadet program to include up to 25 slots from the Metro area, and modify the senior police officer eligibility to rehire retirees with past misconduct (if no suspension of 10+ days in the last five years). Councilmembers questioned him on overtime spending (75.5 million spent in FY26 to date, 81 million budgeted for FY27), the juvenile curfew enforcement (113,000 spent on overtime for curfew zones), collaboration with federal task forces, and facility conditions. Carroll noted that the 7th District station is the worst and will be renovated starting FY27, and that the 2nd District station needs a cell block renovation in FY28. He also discussed the use of drones (14 new drones), license plate readers, and the need for a new helicopter.

Key Outcomes

• No votes were taken; the hearing was for testimony and discussion. The committee will consider the budget and BSA proposals in the coming weeks.
• Proposed BSA provisions include: 1) allowing MPD recruits to enter without college credits and earn 60 credits during the academy; 2) expanding the cadet program to 25 non-DC residents; 3) modifying the senior police officer program to allow rehire of retirees with past misconduct not within the last five years; 4) authorizing MPD to contract with a FBI-approved channeler for background checks; 5) imposing an 80-cent per night hotel occupancy fee to fund 911 technology.
• Councilmember Pinto expressed concern about MPD's overtime budget accuracy and the need for improved facilities, and noted that without the juvenile curfew, MPD would need to deploy more officers and incur more overtime. She also highlighted the need to support victim services and other social safety net programs.
• Councilmember White raised concerns about MPD's collaboration with federal immigration authorities and youth interactions, calling for funding of the Youth Mentorship Through Community Engagement Act.
• Councilmember Henderson questioned OUC's 311 staffing reductions and the hotel fee, and noted the need for realistic overtime budgeting.
• Councilmember Fruman pressed for improvements to police stations, especially the 2nd District, and discussed the role of federal officers and the need to rebuild trust with immigrant communities.
• Councilmember Felder asked about the long-term strategy for hiring and the impact of the budget on Ward 7, noting that the 7th District station is in the worst condition.
• Councilmember Nadeau questioned the juvenile curfew enforcement, including use of handcuffs and transport, and suggested expanding the cadet program by raising the age limit and pay.
• The committee will continue to deliberate on the FY27 budget and BSA, with the goal of finalizing the budget by the end of May 2026.