Commander Issues Apology After Controversial Comments

WASHINGTON - Some D.C. Second District residents are expressing their disapproval, after the commander of D.C.'s Second District police station was reassigned after comments he made at a community meeting about a Georgetown murder.

Acting D.C. police Second District Cmdr. Andy Solberg, whose District includes Georgetown, has been transferred to the department's security services division, according to Police spokesman Sgt. Joe Gentile. Inspector Kevin Keegan has been assigned acting commander.

Solberg, whose officers are handling the murder investigation of British political activist Alan Senitt, told hundreds of concerned Georgetown residents they need to be aware of suspicious people and to be vigilant about crime. Outside of a Georgetown mansion, Senitt's throat was slashed.

"I would think that at 2 a.m. on the streets of Georgetown, a group of three people, one of whom is 15-years-old, one of whom is a bald chunky fat guy, are going to stand out. They were black. This is not a racial thing to say that black people are unusual in Georgetown. This is a fact of life."

In Georgetown, the number of white people outnumber the number of black people 23 to 1.

On Thursday, Solberg issued this apology:

On Sunday, July 9, about 2:15 in the morning, there was a brutal and horrifying murder in Georgetown. Due to some outstanding police and detective work, four people were arrested within hours and charged with the murder. The following day, community members called a meeting at a church in Georgetown. I was invited to the meeting. As the commanding officer of the area where this occurred, it was my hope and intention that I would be bale to clam the fears and concerns felt by the community.

However, some comments that I made at that meeting were insensitive and created other concerns within the community. A friend recently told me that she thought my remarks were "inartful." I want to apologize for the comments that I made and hope that the community will forgive me.

I love being a DC police officer. My wife and I live in DC, and our four children were born and are being raised in the city. I tell my kids that there are two best things being a cop in this city. The first is that I have worked in just about every section of the city, and I like to think that I've driven down every street and ridden through every alley in the city.

The second is that I have met people all across the city, and I've made a lot of friends during my 19 years here.

I believe that those who know my character will understand who I am as a police officer and as a human being. I ask that others who do not know me, and have been hurt, angered, or frustrated by my remarks, view them as inartful, rather than mean, malicious, or divisive.

I do not want the comments I made to detract from the outstanding police work that went into closing this terrible crime, or the hard work that MPD officers are doing every day when they put their lives on the line to protect the citizens of DC.

I want our city to move forward from this incident, and I want to offer my sincere apology to those who I hurt with my comments, and I look forward to continuing in my service to this community as a member of the finest police department in the world.

Statement of Inspector Andrew Solberg July 13, 2006

Now, many Second District residents are upset with Chief Ramsey's decision to remove Solberg from his post, and say Solberg has been very responsive to the community's needs.

A listserv used by the Second District community has been flooded with postings supporting Solberg and his dedication to the Second District.

Residents have started a letter-writing campaign to Mayor Williams and Chief Ramsey asking for Solberg's reinstatement.

"We would like him to have the full support of the police department. [His comment] was made probably under pressure when he was not thinking about the ramifications of what he was saying," says Alma Hardy Gates, Chair of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3D -- an area formerly served by Solberg.

Chief Charles Ramsey said he received no complaints about Solberg's remarks, but felt the move was necessary to maintain public confidence in the department.

On WTOP Wednesday Ramsey said there would be an internal investigation.

"Andy Solberg is a very, very good police officer," Ramsey said on WTOP. "I've known him now for eight years. He is not a racist. There's not a racist bone in his body. He's one of the hardest working guys that we have in the entire department. He mis-spoke and certainly it's unfortunate the way it came out. We need to look into, but I just hope he's not labeled as a result of this."

Ramsey urged residents and tourists to report suspicious activity and to come forward if they know anything about crimes.

D.C. Council member Jack Evans on Tuesday urged anyone who goes to Georgetown to be aware of their surroundings and to not become complacent.

"When you have street crime in Georgetown, it usually takes place around 2 o'clock in the morning because it's when the restaurants and the bars let out. People are walking back to their cars and their homes on streets that are not very well lit and become targets for people who want to rob people," D.C. Council member Jack Evans told WTOP.

Evans said people who live in Georgetown should consider motion-sensor lights on their homes and not leave money or valuables in plain sight in their vehicles.

In the Senitt case, three men armed with a gun and a knife approached Senitt and a womnan who was with him, demanding money and valuables, investigators said.

One man grabbed the woman and dragged her down a driveway where he tried to pull off her clothes, said Lt. Robert Glover.

Four people, including two suspected of other recent holdups, are charged.

Kristopher Piper, 25, of Southeast and Jeffrey Rice, 22, of Southeast face murder charges. Piper and Rice are being held without bail, as is Olivia Miles, 26, of Northeast. A 15-year-old Southeast teen was ordered held in security detention Monday.

(Copyright 2006 by WTOP and The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)