Steve Burns
WMAL.com
UPDATE 3:00 pm: Peter Newsham was confirmed by Council in a 12-1 vote.
WASHINGTON – (WMAL) The D.C. Council is set to vote on the confirmation of interim Police Chief Peter Newsham today, some eight months after the retirement of Chief Cathy Lanier. Newsham has won support from many community and civic groups, but concerns around his background and past handling of protests continued to linger, possibly resulting in a handful of “no” votes on the way Tuesday.
“I expect that we will see a strong majority support the chief,” Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Allen told reporters Monday. “I’m certainly supporting him at this point and recommending that he move forward.”
The final vote comes after three public hearings at different locations in the District, as dozens of people gave their opinions of Newsham. Two councilmembers on the Judiciary Committee still were unsure after the long process – David Grosso enough to vote no. Councilmember Vince Gray voted present, citing a need for more information.
“Our constituents are hungry for a chief of police who is visionary and transformative, and who can think outside the box,” Grosso said. “Unfortunately, I do not believe that this nominee fits that profile.”
Grosso expressed a hesitation for choosing anyone from within the Metropolitan Police Department, saying it needs to be able to recognize its own shortcomings before making more improvements.
“I really am looking for something bigger. I’m looking for a bigger vision for a nonviolent community, and I don’t know if we can necessarily do that from within MPD,” Grosso said. “And I certainly don’t believe Chief Newsham is the best candidate for that option.”
Newsham was also dogged by reports of domestic abuse in a previous marriage, though multiple Councilmembers said they were satisfied that there were some falsehoods in the case that absolved Newsham of some accusations.
The interim chief was also criticized for how he handled protests on Inauguration Day. 200 were arrested as demonstrators broke windows and set a limousine on fire. Some lawyers have accused MPD of resorting to “mass arrests,” rounding up anyone in the area regardless of their level of involvement. A similar tactic in the 2002 World Bank protest in Pershing Park led to multiple lawsuits and a hefty payout from the city.
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