DC police union calls on capital city's liberal leaders to 'wake up' after shooting of three officers

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DC police union blasts left-wing crime policies: 'Start listening to citizens'

D.C. police union chairman Gregg Pemberton speaks with ‘Fox & Friends’ co-host Lawrence Jones about efforts to combat growing violent crime in the nation’s capital.

The head of the D.C. Police Union warned liberal crime policies have created "bedlam and mayhem" after three officers were shot Wednesday in an incident involving a barricaded suspect.

"The City Council here has passed a number of pro-criminal, anti-police pieces of legislation, particularly the Comprehensive Policing Justice Reform Act, which has completely hamstrung police officers and made it absolutely impossible for them to do their jobs and protected criminals and prevents us from actually holding them accountable, even for the most heinous crimes," union chair Gregg Pemberton told Fox News' Lawrence Jones Thursday.

"The results of this defund the police movement is rampant crime and bedlam and mayhem everywhere in these major cities."

SUSPECT IN CUSTODY AFTER HOURS-LONG BARRICADE, 3 WASHINGTON, DC POLICE OFFICERS SHOT

Police in Washington, D.C. respond to the scene of a shooting on Wednesday, Feb. 14, in which three officers were shot. (WTTG)

Pemberton said staffing shortages are exacerbating the crisis as the district saw a 39% increase in violent crime and 24% increase in property crime in 2023 compared to 2022.

"We're short 500 police officers in what should be a 4,000-member agency. That's over 15% of our agency," he said.

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"Until people like our legislators here in the City Council wake up and start acting like adults and start to repeal some of these ideas they had in 2020, I don't think we're going to see these numbers change."

Jones also talked to the father of a D.C. man killed during an armed carjacking spree last month. 

Authorities claim 35-year-old Albert Vasquez, Jr. handed over the keys to his Chrysler 200 to the suspect but was killed anyway. 

"It seems like it's mainly kids, like a younger generation that has no regard for human life. It just seems like I don't know when it will ever end," Jacob Walker told Jones.

"People have to take it serious. Politicians, elected politicians need to be held accountable. Like, what are you going to do? What? We can't come up with a clear resolution on at least how to curb violence in this country. Makes no sense."

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Pemberton said his message to D.C. officials is to "stop listening to activists." 

"Stop listening to people who tell you to defund the police. Start listening to citizens, victims and police officers and figure out what we need to do our jobs," he said.

A suspect was taken into custody Wednesday after a 13-hour barricade situation following a shootout with Washington, D.C. police that injured three officers. The gunshot wound injuries were not life-threatening and the officers were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. 

Metropolitan Police Department identified the suspect as 46-year-old Julius James, of Southeast, D.C. Police said James surrendered after several hours of negotiation. 

Police Chief Pamela Smith said officers who arrived at a residence in the 5000 block of Hanna Place around 7:30 a.m. to serve an arrest warrant for cruelty to animals were met with gunfire through the door when they attempted to gain entry.

The size of the Metropolitan Police Department shrunk to a half-century low in 2023, the Washington Post reported, with Police Chief Robert J. Contee III saying he expected the numbers to fall even lower by end of fiscal year 2024.

The D.C. Council reduced the police budget by $15 million in 2020 following George Floyd riots across the U.S. 

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Fox News' Greg Norman and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.

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