In response to complaints of a lack of police presence, last week D.C. Metropolitan Police Chief Charles Ramsey ordered all police cruisers to flash their blue and red rooftop lights at all times, the first mandate of its kind in the United States. The idea came from Ramsey’s recent trip to Jerusalem to observe the anti-terror tactics used by its city police, which include using police car rooftop lights in a similar fashion. Ramsey contends that the lights will increase the visibility of the police in the city and thus make residents feel safer. Unfortunately this solution not only fails to address the primary issue-a lack of police patrols-but will also create undesirable consequences for both motorists and police.
Confusion among drivers will be an immediate consequence of the new policy. The sight of flashing police lights has always been associated with emergencies or being stopped by police and drivers will react accordingly. The problems caused by puzzled drivers now will overshadow any future benefits.
Increasing the visibility of the police is a double-edged sword. While it provides a sense of security, it also alerts criminals to the location of patrols. Opponents of the new measure, including the D.C. Police union, say that it will prevent officers from sneaking up on suspects and making arrests. The new policy goes against the trends seen among other police departments. The California Highway Patrol, for example, has been removing rooftop lights altogether and replacing them with dashboard-mounted lights in order to obscure police presence.
The biggest issue with the new policy is that it simply does not solve the problem of having too few police officers on patrol. Ramsey has been criticized in recent months for a lack of police presence in the city. The new measure fails to directly respond to the grievances of citizens. Even worse, Ramsey veils his true motives—appeasing troubled citizens—in the name of increasing security. Adapting a policy seen only in Israel as a viable security measure is presumptuous. A solution that works for Jerusalem is not necessarily appropriate for the District. Jerusalem is a city under siege from suicide bombers and street violence. Washington, on the other hand, faces a completely different set of problems. These are two situations that require different approaches to security.
Ramsey’s mandate is an example of a public relations solution to a problem that requires real results. A lack of police presence in the city deserves serious attention and serious action. Instead of offering a true solution for the city, he offers only the image of one.
