[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 3051]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING CHARLES H. RAMSEY

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor Charles H. Ramsey, 
who retired as chief of the Metropolitan Police Department at the end 
of December.
  A Chicago, IL, native, Chief Ramsey began his career in law 
enforcement with the Chicago Police Department in 1968. Over the course 
of nearly three decades, Ramsey proved himself a dedicated and capable 
member of the force. He was promoted to Deputy Superintendent of the 
Bureau of Staff Services in 1994. The position brought with it many new 
responsibilities and put him in charge of the Department's education 
and training programs, an area in which Charles Ramsey excelled.
  During his tenure with the CPD, Chief Ramsey played an instrumental 
role in the creation and implementation of the Chicago Alternative 
Policing Strategy, the city's innovative model of community policing. 
CAPS was designed to help police officers better understand the 
communities they were patrolling, rendering them more effective in 
preventing crime.
  Chief Ramsey comanaged the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy 
program, which promoted the cooperation of police, community, and city 
services. The training program to support the CAPS operation model 
provided guidelines for working with city agencies, and encouraging 
residents to become involved in their neighborhoods and communities 
through local meetings with law enforcement officials.
  Chief Ramsey brought many of the strategies he piloted in Chicago to 
Washington when he was appointed chief of the Metropolitan Police 
Department in April of 1998. Chief Ramsey has said that when he came to 
the MPDC he found ``outstanding people who were frustrated by 
antiquated technology, vehicles and equipment and perhaps most of all, 
an overall sense of organizational pride and purpose that needed to be 
restored.'' Chief Ramsey made it his goal, over the next 8\1/2\ years 
not only to update the Department's resources, but to restore the 
Department's sense of pride and to build public confidence in the 
police.
  Under his leadership, the Metropolitan Police Department saw a shift 
in strategic vision, with a new emphasis on community policing and 
crime prevention. Chief Ramsey created a system of Regional Operations 
Commands, designed to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and enhance 
accountability. In eight and a half years, the Department has achieved 
much success. The crime rate in the District of Columbia is close to 40 
percent lower than when Chief Ramsey joined the force. Meanwhile, the 
department received acclaim for its handling of a number of major 
events, including the 1999 NATO 50th Anniversary summit and the 2000 
protests against the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group.
  Throughout his career, Chief Ramsey has received numerous accolades 
and been presented with many honors. He received the Gary P. Hayes 
Award from the Police Executive Research Forum, the 2001 Robert Lamb 
Humanitarian Award from the National Organization of Black Law 
Enforcement Executives and the 2001 Civil Rights Award from the 
International Association of Chiefs of Police. But Chief Ramsey is sure 
to be remembered for an unlikely partnership that developed shortly 
after he arrived in Washington.
  It began, when Chief Ramsey visited the United States Holocaust 
Museum at the invitation of the Anti-Defamation League. Following his 
visit, he considered the ways in which his Department could learn from 
the history of the Holocaust, in particular the vital role law 
enforcement must play in protecting civil liberties. Chief Ramsey 
enlisted the help of the Museum and the ADL in drafting a curricula and 
training program for his officers. In 1999, ``Law Enforcement and 
Society: Lessons from the Holocaust'' was introduced. Since its 
inception ``Law Enforcement and Society'' has been used by more than a 
dozen other departments and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In 
2001, the Anti-Defamation League recognized Chief Ramsey's efforts, 
presenting him with the Sigmund Livingston Award and Chief Ramsey was 
honored by the Holocaust Museum in 2005.
  I congratulate Chief Charles Ramsey on his many accomplishments 
throughout his long and distinguished career. I thank him for his 
leadership in the Metropolitan Police Department and his commitment to 
public service. I wish him and his family the very best in the years to 
come.

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