Summary: 0Pursuant to a congressional, GAO provided information on the District of Columbia's (D.C.) police recruit qualifications and training program, focusing on the program's operations between August 1982 and early 1990.
GAO found that: (1) the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) implemented many changes in its academy's course of study and academic requirements; (2) MPD generally did not keep records accounting for all recruit training changes and performance standards; (3) it could not determine the number of recruit terminations disapproved by top MPD officials because MPD did not adequately retain academy documentation; (4) MPD selected academy instructors by a formal selection process and the instructors received both classroom and on-the-job training; (5) MPD could obtain accreditation through a five-phase process, and accredited police department officials believed that their accreditation provided many benefits, including improved management, decreased liability insurance costs, and litigation deterrence.
