# District of Columbia

The District of Columbia does not certify or decertify police officers. A Police Officers Standards and Training Board sets hiring and training standards for the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and MPD appoints and disciplines its own officers. In 2023 the District made permanent a bar on hiring officers who were fired or resigned over misconduct elsewhere, an expansion of its 1986 chokehold ban, and the release of body-camera recordings after serious uses of force. Temporary acts in 2026 require MPD arrest paperwork to identify every officer present, federal officers included. Public access to officer disciplinary records and a public misconduct database are enacted but unfunded, so they are not in force.

Source: https://uscli.org/officer-certification-tracker/district-of-columbia

## At a glance

- **Certifying body:** None. No District body certifies, licenses, or decertifies sworn police officers. The Police Officers Standards and Training Board, with 15 voting members since D.C. Law 24-345, sets minimum application, appointment, initial training, and continuing education standards for MPD, and selection and training standards for the D.C. Housing Authority Police Department ([D.C. Code 5-107.03, 5-107.04](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/5-107.04)). MPD appoints its own officers, and MPD staff named by the Chief do the Board’s administrative work. Special police officers are commissioned separately by the Mayor (D.C. Code 5-129.02); the regulations on those commissions could not be read.
- **Statute:** [D.C. Code 5-107.01 to 5-107.04](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/5-107.01) (MPD hiring and training; Police Officers Standards and Training Board). Related: D.C. Code 5-125.01 et seq. (neck restraints; D.C. Law 6-77 of 1986, as amended by D.C. Law 24-345); Title 5, chapters 3B (deadly force), 3B-i (Use of Force Review Board), 3C, 3D, and 3E, added by D.C. Law 24-345; 5-1031 (MPD termination-hearing schedule; its 90-day discipline deadline now covers only the Fire and EMS Department); 5-1101 et seq. (Office of Police Complaints).
- **Minimum standards:** An applicant must have 60 hours of post-secondary education (since 2025, up to 20 credits may come from the MPD recruit program if MPD has a college agreement), or 2 years of active military service with an honorable discharge, or 3 years of full-duty service with a full-service police department, leaving in good standing. An applicant is ineligible if a law enforcement agency previously found that the applicant committed serious misconduct, as the Chief defines by General Order; if the applicant was terminated or forced to resign for disciplinary reasons; or if the applicant resigned to avoid potential, proposed, or pending discipline. Board criteria must cover citizenship, national status, or permanent residence; age; physical and psychological fitness; criminal and background investigations; and misconduct or discipline at prior law enforcement agencies. Initial and firearms training must be completed before deployment, unless the Chief waives it for recent former MPD members or comparably trained former officers separated less than 3 years ([D.C. Code 5-107.01(e)–(f)](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/5-107.01); 5-107.04(a)–(e)).
- **Decertification:** None. No certification is issued, so the D.C. Code has nothing to revoke. Discipline runs through MPD, and civilians may complain to the Office of Police Complaints. Discipline of sworn law enforcement personnel is retained by management and is not negotiable in collective bargaining ([D.C. Code 1-617.08(c)](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/1-617.08)). The hiring bar in 5-107.01(f) keeps MPD from appointing an applicant with a prior misconduct finding or disciplinary separation at another agency.
- **Public decertification list:** No decertification list exists. MPD must publish online a schedule of adverse-action hearings in which the proposed discipline is termination, with the officer’s name, badge number, and a summary of the charges ([D.C. Code 5-1031(c)](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/5-1031)). A public database of sustained misconduct kept by the Office of Police Complaints was enacted in 2023 (D.C. Code 5-1116), but the Code marks it “Not Funded” and it is not in force.
- **National Decertification Index:** None found in the D.C. Code sections reviewed. The D.C. Municipal Regulations could not be searched.
- **Continuing training:** MPD must provide at least 32 hours of continuing education each year. Required topics include community policing; bias, racism, and white supremacy; limiting force and de-escalation; prohibited techniques; dementia; behavioral health; linguistic and cultural competency; limits on searches and consent searches; and the duty and method to report suspected misconduct or excessive force by another officer. The Board sets continuing education and firearms requalification minimums and the consequences of non-compliance, such as ineligibility for promotion ([D.C. Code 5-107.02](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/5-107.02); 5-107.04(f)).

## Changes, 2023 to 2026

- Jun 11, 2026 — **MPD arrest paperwork must identify every officer present, federal officers included (temporary)** — D.C. Law 26-138 (Full Accountability in Arrest Reporting Temporary Act of 2026), adding D.C. Code 5-116.71 · Enacted without the Mayor’s signature April 29, 2026 (Act 26-304); effective June 11, 2026; expires January 22, 2027. Emergency Act 26-290 took effect March 31, 2026 — After an arrest, an MPD member “shall include,” to the extent known, in the documentation supporting the arrest, including a probable cause affidavit: the name, badge or other identifying number, and employing agency of each law enforcement officer at the scene, federal officers included; whether any officer used force, and how; and the number of unidentified officers at the scene and whether any officer declined to give their identity. The act imposes no duty on officers outside MPD and creates no private right of action. Failure to comply may not be used as evidence in any criminal or civil proceeding. The permanent bill, B26-618, is pending. — **For officers:** If you are an MPD member, your arrest paperwork must list every officer present, including federal officers and any who would not identify themselves. — [D.C. Law 26-138](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/laws/26-138)[D.C. Code 5-116.71](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/5-116.71)
- Jun 11, 2026 — **Body-camera release extended to incidents involving officers from other agencies (temporary)** — D.C. Law 26-139 (Body-Worn Camera Transparency for Use of Force Temporary Amendment Act of 2026), amending D.C. Code 5-116.33 · Signed April 22, 2026 (Act 26-305); effective June 11, 2026; expires January 22, 2027. Emergency Act 26-282 took effect March 23, 2026. The act applies as of August 1, 2025 — After an officer-involved death or serious use of force, the public release must include the names, as available, of all other law enforcement officers directly involved, not only MPD officers. For incidents from August 1, 2025 to March 23, 2026, recordings had to be released within 10 business days after the emergency act took effect. MPD officers may review footage before writing initial reports when the death or force directly involved only officers from other agencies. — **For officers:** When you work alongside MPD, your name may be released after a death or serious use of force in which you were directly involved. — [D.C. Law 26-139](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/laws/26-139)[D.C. Code 5-116.33](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/5-116.33)
- Oct 28, 2025 — **Academy college credits may count toward the 60-hour education requirement** — D.C. Law 26-52 (Peace DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2025), § 3, amending D.C. Code 5-107.01(e)(1) · Signed July 21, 2025 (Act 26-114); effective October 28, 2025. An emergency version applied from July 14, 2025 (Act 26-109); a temporary version, D.C. Law 26-81, took effect later, on January 29, 2026 — If MPD has an agreement with an accredited college or university to award credit for its recruit training program, an applicant may meet up to 20 of the 60 required post-secondary credit hours through that program. The education requirement had no such exception. — **For officers:** College credit earned in the MPD recruit program can cover up to 20 of the 60 credit hours you need. — [D.C. Law 26-52](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/laws/26-52)[D.C. Code 5-107.01](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/5-107.01)
- Jun 8, 2024 — **Secure DC narrows the body-camera release trigger and revises the neck-restraint, pursuit, and review-board rules** — D.C. Law 25-175 (Secure DC Omnibus Amendment Act of 2024), §§ 11 to 13, amending D.C. Code 5-116.33, 5-125.02, 5-353.01, 5-365.01, and 5-365.02 · Signed March 11, 2024 (Act 25-411); effective June 8, 2024. § 12 applies as of July 22, 2020 — Body cameras: officers still may not review footage before writing initial reports after an officer-involved death or serious use of force. For other incidents they may, but must say what footage they viewed. The rule against redacting likenesses in released recordings now covers law enforcement officers acting in their professional capacity, other than undercover officers; Law 24-345 had covered all government employees. The “serious use of force” that triggers release now excludes negligent firearm discharges that do not put the public at risk, and requires a “protracted” loss of consciousness. Neck restraints: the definition now refers to restricting a person’s “airway” in place of “movement,” and excludes good-faith medical care such as CPR. Use of Force Review Board: Council-appointed civilian members are barred only by a current law enforcement affiliation, not a prior one, and MPD “shall publish” the Board’s findings of fact and merits determinations. Pursuits: “immediate threat” becomes “imminent threat,” and a pursuit must not be likely to cause death or serious bodily injury to anyone other than the fleeing suspects. The act’s changes to the unfunded records provisions are not in force; see below. — **For officers:** Outside deaths and serious uses of force, you may review your body-camera footage before writing a report, but you must say what you viewed. — [D.C. Law 25-175](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/laws/25-175)[D.C. Code 5-353.01](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/5-353.01)
- Aug 17, 2023 — **Office of Police Complaints may open its own complaint over misconduct it finds while handling a complaint, including failure to intervene (temporary acts, renewed through May 2027)** — D.C. Laws 25-41, 25-173, 25-317, 26-73, and 26-185 (Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Technical Temporary Amendment Acts), amending D.C. Code 5-1104 and 5-1107 · Law 25-41 effective August 17, 2023. The current act, Law 26-185, took effect September 25, 2026 and expires May 8, 2027. Emergency acts, the first dated May 24, 2023, cover the gaps between the temporary laws — If the executive director of the Office of Police Complaints finds evidence of abuse or misuse of police powers that the complainant did not allege, the director “may” open the director’s own complaint against the officer. This includes an officer’s failure to intervene in or report another officer’s excessive force or misconduct, and failure to report rule violations or uses of force to a supervisor. The Police Complaints Board grows from 5 to 9 members, one from each ward and one at large; after the term of the sitting MPD member ends, no member may be affiliated with a law enforcement agency. All five temporary laws were enacted without the Mayor’s signature. The acts stand in for the unfunded § 105 of Law 24-345 and expire when it applies. — **For officers:** Failing to intervene in or report another officer’s excessive force can lead to a complaint opened by the Office of Police Complaints itself. — [D.C. Law 26-185](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/laws/26-185)[D.C. Law 25-41](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/laws/25-41)[D.C. Code 5-1107](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/5-1107)
- Apr 21, 2023 — **Hiring bar for officers with prior misconduct, a larger Standards and Training Board, and new training topics made permanent** — D.C. Law 24-345 (Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022), §§ 111 and 115, amending D.C. Code 5-107.01 to 5-107.04 · Enacted without the Mayor’s signature January 19, 2023 (Act 24-781); effective April 21, 2023. Emergency and temporary versions had applied since July 22, 2020 — Law 24-345 made permanent provisions that had run under emergency and temporary acts since 2020. An applicant is ineligible for MPD appointment if a law enforcement agency previously found that the applicant committed serious misconduct, if the applicant was terminated or forced to resign for disciplinary reasons, or if the applicant resigned to avoid potential, proposed, or pending discipline (5-107.01(f)). The Board grows from 11 to 15 members, including the Office of Police Complaints director and five community representatives, and its criteria must cover misconduct and discipline at prior law enforcement agencies. Citizenship criteria now include U.S. nationals and permanent residents. Continuing education must cover limits on consent searches and the duty to report misconduct or excessive force by another officer. Congress passed a resolution disapproving the act (H.J.Res. 42); the President vetoed it on May 25, 2023, and the House override failed. — **For officers:** If another agency fired or forced you out for disciplinary reasons, found you committed serious misconduct, or you resigned there to avoid discipline, MPD may not hire you. — [D.C. Law 24-345](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/laws/24-345)[D.C. Code 5-107.01](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/5-107.01)[B24-320 history](https://lims.dccouncil.gov/Legislation/B24-0320)
- Apr 21, 2023 — **1986 chokehold ban expanded to all neck and asphyxiating restraints; deadly-force standard, pursuit limits, and a Use of Force Review Board made permanent** — D.C. Law 24-345, §§ 101, 106, 119, 121, 127, and 128, amending D.C. Code 5-125.01 et seq. and adding 5-351.01, 5-353.01, and 5-365.01 to 5-365.02 · Effective April 21, 2023. The § 121 limits on riot gear and less-lethal weapons apply as of October 1, 2023. Emergency and temporary versions had applied since July 22, 2020 — Since 1986, District law had banned the trachea hold outright and allowed the carotid artery hold only where lethal force was necessary, with a criminal penalty for willful and intentional violations of a $5,000 fine, up to 1 year in jail, or both, and removal from office. Law 24-345 expands that ban: it is unlawful for any law enforcement officer, a term that now includes federal investigative officers and agents, to use any neck restraint or asphyxiating restraint. An officer who sees another officer use one must immediately render or summon first aid (5-125.03). The rewritten section contains no penalty clause. An officer “shall not use deadly force” unless the officer actually and reasonably believes it is immediately necessary to protect against serious bodily injury or death, the officer’s actions are reasonable, and all other options have been exhausted or do not reasonably fit the circumstances (5-351.01). Vehicle pursuits are limited, and ramming counts as deadly force (5-365.02). A 13-member Use of Force Review Board, with five civilian members and the Office of Police Complaints director, reviews uses of force as MPD directives provide (5-353.01). The law sets no general statutory duty to intervene. — **For officers:** Any neck or asphyxiating restraint is unlawful, and if you see another officer use one, you must give or call for first aid at once. — [D.C. Code 5-125.03](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/5-125.03)[D.C. Law 24-345](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/laws/24-345)
- Apr 21, 2023 — **Discipline: penalties may be raised on review, the MPD 90-day deadline repealed, discipline not bargainable, termination hearings published** — D.C. Law 24-345, §§ 116 to 118, amending D.C. Code 1-617.08 and 5-1031 and 6-A DCMR 1001.5 · Effective April 21, 2023; §§ 117 and 118 apply to matters pending on that date. Emergency and temporary versions of § 117 had applied since July 22, 2020 — Discipline of sworn law enforcement personnel is retained by management and is not negotiable in bargaining. This applies to MPD union agreements entered into after September 30, 2020, or automatically renewed on or after that date (1-617.08(c)). The MPD-specific rule on when discipline must begin, 5-1031(a-1), is repealed. With (a-1) repealed, the 90-day deadline in 5-1031(a) now covers only the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, so 5-1031 no longer sets a deadline for beginning MPD discipline; the widened tolling rule in 5-1031(b) applies to that FEMS deadline. MPD must publish online a schedule of termination hearings with each officer’s name, badge number, and charges (5-1031(c)). The reviewing official in an MPD adverse action may now “reduce or increase” the recommended penalty; the regulation had allowed only a reduction. — **For officers:** If MPD seeks to fire you, your name, badge number, and the charges are posted with the hearing date, and the penalty can be raised on review. — [D.C. Code 5-1031](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/5-1031)[D.C. Law 24-345](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/laws/24-345)
- Apr 21, 2023 — **Names and body-camera recordings released after deaths and serious uses of force** — D.C. Law 24-345, § 103, amending D.C. Code 5-116.33 · Effective April 21, 2023. Emergency and temporary versions had applied since July 22, 2020 — Within 5 business days after an officer-involved death or serious use of force, the Mayor “shall” publicly release the names and body-camera recordings of all officers directly involved, with a description of the incident. Release does not occur if the decedent’s next of kin, or the person subjected to force, tells the Mayor they do not consent. Likenesses of government employees acting in their professional capacity, other than undercover, may not be obscured; Secure DC narrowed this to law enforcement officers in 2024. Officers may not review body-camera recordings to help write initial reports. — **For officers:** If you are directly involved in a death or serious use of force, your name and recording are released unless the person or family objects. — [D.C. Code 5-116.33](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/5-116.33)
- Apr 21, 2023 — **Assembly identification rule: name and badge number, all District officers, and agency shown** — D.C. Law 24-345, § 112, amending D.C. Code 5-331.09 · Effective April 21, 2023. Emergency and temporary versions had applied since July 22, 2020 — Since 2005, the First Amendment Assemblies Act has required MPD to make officers’ names or badge numbers more visible on uniforms or helmets at First Amendment assemblies, so officers can be identified even in riot gear. Law 24-345 changes three things: the name and the badge number must both be shown; the rule covers all District law enforcement officers policing an assembly, not only MPD officers; and uniforms and helmets must prominently show the officer’s District agency. The rule applies only at First Amendment assemblies. The District has no general rule on officer face coverings. — **For officers:** At a First Amendment assembly, your name, badge number, and agency must be visible, even in riot gear. — [D.C. Code 5-331.09](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/5-331.09)

## Not yet in force and pending

- **Enacted but unfunded (Law 24-345, §§ 105, 134, and 135):** these apply only once their cost is included in an approved budget (§ 301(a)), and the Code marks them “Not Funded.” They would bar categorical denial of public records requests for officer disciplinary records at MPD, the Housing Authority police, and the Inspector General (D.C. Code 2-534(d-1)–(d-2)); require a public database of sustained misconduct (5-1116, due by December 31, 2024) and an advisory group (5-1117); and reform the Office of Police Complaints (§ 105). D.C. Law 25-50, § 7097 (effective September 6, 2023) narrowed the funding condition so that other sections, including the duties of a Deputy Auditor for Public Safety, apply; §§ 105, 134, and 135 remain unfunded. Secure DC §§ 5 and 14 (badge numbers in released records, redaction categories, complaint confidentiality, and race and gender fields in the database) are also unfunded. [D.C. Code 5-1116](https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/5-1116)
- **Temporary laws expiring January 22, 2027:** Laws 26-138 and 26-139. The permanent bills, B26-618 (arrest reporting) and B26-603 (body-camera release), have hearings noticed for November 5, 2026. Neither is enacted. [B26-618](https://lims.dccouncil.gov/Legislation/B26-0618)
- **B26-784 (Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Technical Congressional Review Emergency Amendment Act of 2026):** continues the temporary Office of Police Complaints powers. Transmitted to the Mayor October 6, 2026; the response is due October 21, 2026. [B26-784](https://lims.dccouncil.gov/Legislation/B26-0784)
- **Congress:** H.R. 5107, the CLEAN DC Act of 2025, to repeal D.C. Law 24-345, passed the House 233 to 190 on November 19, 2025. H.R. 5143, the District of Columbia Policing Protection Act of 2025, “to establish standards for law enforcement officers in the District of Columbia to engage in vehicular pursuits of suspects,” passed the House 245 to 182 on September 17, 2025. Both were received in the Senate with no further action. [H.R. 5107 status](https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/119/hr/BILLSTATUS-119hr5107.xml)

Also pending in the Council, contents not reviewed: B26-549 (Safe Community Places and Policing Amendment Act of 2025; hearing noticed for November 5, 2026) and B26-804 (Law Enforcement Cadet Pathways Expansion Amendment Act of 2026; referred September 22, 2026).

The D.C. Municipal Regulations site could not be read by machine, so no Board rulemaking from 2023 to 2026 could be confirmed.

## Checked and unchanged

- D.C. Code 5-107.03 and 5-107.04 (the Board and its duties) and 5-1031(c) (termination-hearing schedule): history notes end with D.C. Law 24-345.
- The dementia training topic in 5-107.02 came from D.C. Law 24-167 (2022) and predates 2023.
- Council Period 25 bills that lapsed without action after referral: B25-0142 (Police Officer Recruitment and Retention Act of 2023), B25-0413 (Ski Mask Prohibition Act of 2023, civilian), and B25-0465 (Use of Force Review Board Amendment Act of 2023).
- Not counted: D.C. Law 25-50, § 8002(e) (technical wording fixes to 5-116.33 and 5-365.02). Law 24-345 § 108 repealed a civilian anti-mask offense, and Secure DC § 24 revived one in narrower form; neither applies to officers.
- No other Council bill on masks or identification for law enforcement officers was found in title searches of the Council’s legislation database.