Mr. RUDD. If that is not true, fine. If it is, I would like to know whether or not that is going to slow down the eventual phasing out of the Metropolitan Police officers assigned here. Chief POWELL. No, sir. Mr. RUDD. Do you think that is a good idea? Chief POWELL. Yes, I think personally, and while we are on that subject I would like to point out that I am so confident of the Capitol Police force that we now have, and with our training and our hopeful advancement towards professionalization, I have recommended and the board approved Inspector Abernathy, a Capitol captain actually, to be promoted. He is an acting inspector and he is in charge of the whole investigations section. He also recommended these other promotions. Mr. RUDD. Do you feel that the caliber of expertise of the Capitol Hill Police is sufficient that they could eventually take over all responsibilities without any advice or permanent assignment from the Metropolitan Police Department? Chief POWELL. Yes, sir, I think that that is the case. However, there would come a time, for instance, God forbid, if you had a homicide. We are not going to have that practice. Mr. RUDD. Isn't some sort of liaison arrangement made with other law enforcement agencies in instances like this? Chief. POWELL. Yes, sir. Mr. RUDD. The Metropolitan Police and the FBI are really responsible for it anyway. Chief POWELL. Yes, sir. Mr. RUDD. I am just wondering, do you have a target date when the phase out of the Metropolitan Police detail will take place completely? Chief POWELL. I would recommend that it be staggered until such time as all those aboard retire, to make it a better transition. Mr. RUDD. This has been going on for 24 years. Chief POWELL. Yes, sir, but it wasn't being phased out. When I came up here there was a total of 10. Then it expanded to 50 at one time, and we have now got back to where we are. The point is that some of those people, in fact all of those who came here, came at the request or with the approval of the board, and in some cases the leadership was involved, but those people have come here and having brought the experience that they had when they came here, are becoming also more acquainted with the operation here. Mr. HARDING. May I interrupt for one second to make a comment? Mr. RUDD. Yes. Mr. HARDING. There is something that you gentlemen can be of great help in pursuing to its fulfillment. Now the board has been insisting and what we would like to see is a phase out of the Metropolitan Police detail when it is practical in the interest of the security of the Capitol. One of the possible solutions being considered is the jurisdiction of the Capitol Police off of Capitol Hill. We have had several pieces of legislation introduced which have fallen by the wayside for various reasons, some have even charged us with attempting to set up another Federal police force or something, but we only request authority on a caseby-case basis. Such as, if the Chief had the authority to escort you, in case there was a threat on you, over to the National Airportright now if we take any one of you over to the National Airport or Dulles we are violating our jurisdiction. Mr. RUDD. I spent a career with the FBI, and I see no reason why good relations can't be established so that they will agree to do this. Police departments from various towns and communities that overlap each other do this without any trouble at all, unless somebody is trying to get something done that they really shouldn't get done. Mr. HARDING. If we had the people who on a case-by-case basis could carry this out COST OF METROPOLITAN POLICE OFFICER Mr. RUDD. I notice that these 29 metropolitan police officers that are up here this year are going to cost individually about $44,724 apiece. I think that is pretty expensive for people on loan. Chief POWELL. Yes, sir. I am not sure, however, that the overall picture of the contribution of the Federal Government to the operation of the District Government, whether or not this amount would show up in some other request, if it were not here. I suspect it might. Mr. BENJAMIN. We will recess at this point until 1 o'clock. [Recess.] Mr. BENJAMIN. The hearing will resume. The Chair will open up the transcript for questions to be submitted by Mr. Rudd, directed to the Capitol Police regarding certain inquiries that he desires to make. We would appreciate your response on the record to those particular inquiries. EXPLANATION OF POLICE EXPENDITURES AND REQUESTS I am going to also submit question No. 16 for a response on the record. Question. In fiscal year 1978, the expenditure for the Capitol Police Board was $1,067,731. No moneys were spent as of December 31, 1978, to reimburse the Metropolitan Police Department. What reimbursements have been made during the past two months? Given this level of reimbursement, explain how the fiscal year 1978 request was calculated. [The information follows:] Reimbursement for metropolitan detail for fiscal year 1978 Amount returned to the treasury $143,127.62. Computation was arrived at by adding salary plus approximately 10 days of overtime pay and holiday pay plus longevity multiplied by 61.4 percent surcharge ($346,479.11 was paid for reimbursement for the period of October 1, 1978 through December 30, 1978 in fiscal year 1979.) [The following questions were submitted by Mr. Rudd:] Question. You stated that the surcharge paid with appropriated funds to the District of Columbia government, in connection with the Metropolitan Police detail to the U.S. Capitol Police, is to reimburse the District for the cost of police training and other overhead factors, and the pension program for Metropolitan officers. You further stated that a study had determined this cost to be 61.4 percent of the amount of the salaries of these Metropolitan Police. What study was this, and when was it conducted? Please provide a copy for the Subcommittee record. Response. I had previously based my response in this area on information that the 30 percent surcharge was a cost attributable to retirement costs as well as costs attributable to the District of Columbia share of health and life insurance, amortized share of salary of officers during training and a share of general administrative costs such as recruiting, training facilities, payroll, clinic, etc. However, I have subsequently received a copy of a letter from Mr. Comer S. Coppie, then Special Assistant to the Mayor, in which he states that a 61.4 percent surcharge is based on the actual cost of retirement pursuant to an actuarial study made by the United States Department of the Treasury. My office has recently contacted Mr. Edwin Hustead, Chief Actuary of the United States Civil Service Commission, who stated that the actual figure for level percentage retirement costs for employees under the civil service system is approximately 45 percent to 50 percent. He further advised my office that the figure of 68 percent is probably nearly correct for the Metropolitan Police considering a 20 year retirement program. [The letters referred to follow:] This letter provides updated estimates for the Fiscal Year 1978 costs of the Metropolitan Police Capitol Detail and the Capitol Page School. The revised Fiscal Year 1978 estimates for the Metropolitan Police Capitol Detail are $1,048,300 for salary costs, $314,500 for overhead costs, and $338,600 for the "normal cost" of retirement, for a new total of $1,701,400. On September 16, 1976, a Fiscal Year 1978 estimate for the Metropolitan Police Capitol Detail totaling $1,300,000 was transmitted to you. Of this estimate, $1,000,000 represented the salary costs of the Detail, exclusive of a 4.83 percent pay raise effective October, 1976, and $300,000 for overhead costs, or 30 percent of estimated salary costs. The pay increase will require an additional $48,300 in salary costs and $14,500 in overhead costs for Fiscal Year 1978. The previous estimate of $1,300,000 did not include the "normal cost" of pensions being earned by the Detail. The enclosed justification explains why the "normal cost" feature is being added to the estimate and shows the computation which equals 61.4 percent of salary cost, or a total of $643,700. Since the overhead cost estimate already includes 29.1 percent of salary costs for retirement, the additional funding requirement for the "normal cost" factor is $338,600. The revised Fiscal Year 1978 Capitol Page School estimate is Original and one copy to Finance, 11/22/76 $3,100, bringing the estimate to a new total of $193,700. No pay raise adjustment to this new estimate is necessary. Please let me know if you require additional information on this matter. Sincerely, Cand loghi Comer S. Coppie Special Assistant to the Mayor cc: Earl Silsby Staff Assistant House Subcommittee on the District of Columbia Michael Hall Staff Assistant Senate Subcommittee on Appropriations for the District of Columbia RECEIVED 1976 0 19 F 4:35 |