Prince William outs officers names, patrol areas despite being cleared of wrongdoing
Updated at December 30, 2020 - Uriah Kiser
Five Prince William County police officers involved in a shooting outside Dumfries did nothing wrong, the county’s Commonwealth Attorney determined.
The officers were dispatched to the Four Seasons, a gated retirement community just off Route 234 at 7:15 p.m. December 10, after a woman reported her husband Kurtis Kay Frevert, 79, was armed with a gun and was threatening suicide.
With the information that the man fled his home, officers initiated a search, calling for assistance from a helicopter crew from neighboring Fairfax County, which located the man in some nearby woods.
When Chief Newsham’s upcoming retirement was announced last month, several D.C. Council members stressed that the next police chief must be someone who can fight racism and restore the public’s trust in its officers.
Chief Contee’s appointment must be approved by city lawmakers. Council member Charles Allen, chairman of the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, said the vetting process will be announced in the new year, adding that “the public will play an important role and the committee will create several ways for input to be heard.”
The Ward 6 Democrat also reiterated statements he had made about the qualities the next police chief should have, including being “prepared to tackle systemic racism in the District” and taking “a public health approach to eliminating violence.”
By Emily Zantow - The Washington Times - Tuesday, December 22, 2020
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is set to announce Tuesday that she has picked Robert J. Contee III to serve as the new acting chief of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Miss Bowser is scheduled to discuss the appointment during a press conference at 11 a.m., according to a spokesperson for the mayor.
Chief Contee, a 31-year veteran of the department, will serve as the acting chief beginning in January, and he must receive final approval for the position from the D.C. Council.
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Prince William graduates 29 new police officers
The Prince William County Criminal Justice Academy Basic Law Enforcement 47th Session graduated on Friday, Dec. 18, 2020, in a modified ceremony due to the pandemic at the Police Association Hall in Manassas. This class was composed of 29 Prince William County Police officers.
The 29 men and women completed a 24-week course of training in all aspects of police work, including classes in firearms, use-of-force decision making, driver training, legal training, patrol techniques, criminal investigation, and crash investigation.
The starting pay for Prince William police officers is about $53,000 per year.
Shadrack K. Arko is a graduate of Mount Vernon High School in Alexandria, Va. He is fluent in Twi.