Statement as Chairwoman of the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety

Councilmember Brooke Pinto issued the following statement on today’s confirmation of the committee assignments for the upcoming Council Period of the Council of the District of Columbia.    

“I am honored to serve as the Chairwoman for the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety.  

Every resident deserves to be and feel safe in their home and their community. I am extremely concerned by the high rate of gun violence in communities across the District. I believe we can have a safe society and a just society. Thus, I intend to continue to be a close partner with our new Attorney General, the executive, our hard-working Metropolitan Police Department (“MPD”) officers, our public defender service, and our criminal justice advocacy community to advance laws and policies that enhance public safety.  

The District has a responsibility to provide each and every one of our residents with the support and tools they need to succeed. I am eager to build on the years of work by the executive and the Council to identify and address those service gaps, with a focus on meeting residents where they are and providing them with critical, tailored support -- preventing crime before it happens. 

As Chairwoman of the Committee, I am committed to moving forward these critical goals. While many additional areas of focus will develop through partnerships and collaboration over the coming months, I am focused on the following three areas:  

‍Enhancing Public Safety and the Court System 

 
• Working with our first responders to ensure they have the resources and tools they need to quickly and effectively respond to incidents of crime and emergencies, investigate and close cases, and support the community to prevent crime before it occurs; 
 
• Reforming the Office of Unified Communications to reduce emergency call response times and dispatcher errors;  
 
• Increasing safety at the District’s parks and schools; 
 
• Exercising critical oversight of the new Forensic Science and Public Health Laboratory to ensure the District has an accredited, reliable forensics lab; 
 
• Coordinating with the Committee on Transportation and the Environment to enhance safety for residents, especially women and LGBTQQIA+ residents, on public transit;
 
• Providing support for the District’s court system to ensure full staffing and accessibility; 
 

Improving Supports and Opportunities for Underserved Residents and Communities 

 
• Creating hospitality-sector and STEM job training programs for returning citizens and underserved youth; 
 
• Establishing health-focused nutrition standards for meals and other food offerings at the DC Jail; 
 
• Increasing coordination between our public safety sector agencies and restorative justice workers to enhance the effectiveness of violence interruptions services; 
 

Developing Interagency and Cross-Sector Partnerships 

 
• Facilitating and increasing coordination between MPD  and other District agencies on responsibilities that have been transitioned from public safety officers to other service providers; 
 
• Enhancing mental health supports for public safety officers; 
 
• Accelerating work at HSEMA on climate-based emergency preparedness, including energy grid resiliency, emergency preparedness, and flood planning.”