Fewer than seven months after Mark Carter replaced his predecessor as acting commander of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Second District, which includes Georgetown, MPD Chief Cathy Lanier replaced Carter with current Commander Matthew Klein.
“I was notified I was going to be the Second District’s commander this past Friday,” Klein, who became commander on Sunday, said, adding that he felt “a little overwhelmed” by his first days on the job.
Lanier made this decision three months after she denied reports in The Washington Examiner that she planned to replace Carter with former Mobile Crime Lab Commander Christopher LoJacono. The Examiner noted that LoJacono’s attempts at constructing a high-tech crime lab for the District were the subject of controversy and criticism.
Former Commander Mark Carter is now serving as Deputy Commander at the Police Academy.
Klein, the former head of the MPD Internal Affairs, has spent over 19 years as a member of the police department and previously worked as a sergeant in the Second District.
So far, Klein said that he is impressed by the members of the Second District and by the amount of community feedback he receives on a daily basis. He does, however, have specific goals he hopes to achieve during his time as commander.
“I want to increase responsiveness to the community and increase officer visibility,” Klein said. “The District is doing well in crime reduction, but we also have a lot of visitors here, so one of my goals is to educate visitors to the District about some problems we’re having.”
Bill Starrels, the vice-chair of the Georgetown Advisory Neighborhood Commission and a supporter of former commander Carter, met Klein for the first time on Tuesday.
“We all very much appreciate the time that Commander Carter spent at Georgetown,” Starrels said. “But going forward, we’ll be as supportive as possible with the new commander.”
