Yesterday, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier released a statement on the incident. "I take concerns about the appropriate use of police powers very seriously," Lanier said. "Members who are found to have abused their authority are subject to both criminal and disciplinary penalties up to and including termination." So, was Culp canned over the slur-happy arrest?

Lanier refused to comment on the disciplinary penalties applied to Culp. But according to Lanier, Culp was not, at least, subject to criminal penalties over the arrest. The D.C. police's Internal Affairs Bureau "immediately launched a criminal investigation into the matter and subsequently referred the arrest to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for further criminal investigation and prosecution, if appropriate," Lanier says—but the Attorney's Office declined to prosecute Culp.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which represents Tuma, is looking for more than just discipline—it wants to revise D.C.'s "disorderly conduct" statute to reduce the possibility for police abuse. The ACLU told Fox 5 that "disorderly conduct" is "a false charge used every time an officer thinks someone has spoken disrespectfully or harshly to them, so we want that changed." Lanier disagrees with the ACLU's characterization of the law—she says that "disorderly conduct" is a necessary charge to prevent people from "urinating in public" or "blocking the sidewalk or road and refusing to let others pass." But she adds that D.C. police are committed to working alongside the ACLU to review the statute.

Lanier will say that Culp's tactic isn't exactly the D.C. police's preferred method for dealing with citizens who mouth off to cops. That would be something called "Verbal Judo."

"[B]elieve me, police do not make an arrest every time an officer thinks someone 'has spoken disrespectfully or harshly to them,'" Lanier's statement continued. "That happens everyday, and we train officers in a widely used tactical communication strategy (Verbal Judo) to defuse these situations." Lanier added that "Verbal Judo" is "by no means a magic wand," but that "it would be a mistake to let this case in which an officer is alleged to have acted outside both the law and Department policy drive the current discussion about revisions to the law."

Last month, D.C. police released a report breaking down every hate crime reported in D.C. [PDF] over the past five years. In 2007, changes to the D.C. Human Rights Act required police to begin recording hate-bias crimes motivated by the victim's "gender identity or expression"—in other words, crimes that specifically target transgender victims. Since then, crimes against the transgender community have been the second most frequently recorded type of hate crime committed in D.C., after sexual orientation.

Since 2007, D.C. police have recorded 16 bias-related crimes based on gender identity. Last year, D.C. recorded seven of these crimes (which can include anything from destruction of property to assault to murder). But as trans activist group the DC Trans Coalition notes, transgender victims often face barriers to having crimes against them reported, investigated, and properly coded as a hate crime. According to the DCTC, "Since many trans communities (particularly low-income trans women of color and those who are sex workers) experience violence at the hands of police themselves, it is likely that anti-trans crimes in general are under-reported. Further, DCTC has also learned via a Freedom of Information Act request that MPD still is not tracking statistics about police response rates to cases involving trans individuals."

And because the transgender community in D.C. is so small, seven crimes in a year is an extremely significant figure. We're talking about a very limited population of potential targets, which means that any hate crime against a trans person holds more power to terrorize the entire community.

In 2009, D.C. experienced several highly visible bias crimes motivated by the victim's gender identity. Last March, a transgender man was assaulted outside of Fab Lounge by some of the gay bar's other patrons. In August, Tyli'a Mack and a friend, both trans women, were stabbed on the street in the middle of the afternoon. Mack was killed. The most recent hate-bias crime based on gender identity occurred last weekend, when two transgender individuals were assaulted in Petworth with a metal pole.

The new D.C. police report resolves one reporting problem for D.C.'s transgender community: In an original hate crimes report released in November of last year, D.C. police failed to distinguish between gender identity and sexual orientation in its data, leaving the transgender community with no information on how many victims were being targeted specifically for their gender identity. After some prodding by activists, D.C. released the fully differentiated data last month.

Forgetting the purpose of the Right to Life protest what was MPD's logic in allowing all of their buses to load and unload in the middle of Capitol Hill?

I spent 25 minutes trying to cross (with a crossing guard no less) 6th Street to Mass Ave at Stanton Square Park last night around 5 pm. There were hundreds of kids running around the park waiting for their buses. That square is a giant traffic mess in a regular rush hour let alone when there are 10-15 charter buses idling. Then when I finally reached my car to drive to Walter Reed there were another 5-10 buses parked along the H street overpass behind union station picking up kids who were sprinting across the highway.

MPD has really disappointed me the last 3 days. I was one of the Purple Tunnel doom victims and now this!

Please let me know the logic.

Of particular interest to members of the GLBT community, Chief Lanier stated the case was thoroughly reviewed by prosecutors at the United States Attorney’s Office and there is no evidence to support a hate crime enhancement. Furthermore, Chief Lanier indicated the initial suspected motive of robbery was eventually determined by investigators to not be correct and that the death of Mr. Hunter resulted from an altercation between Mr. Hunter and Mr. Hanna, during which Mr. Hunter suffered injuries which lead to his death.

Mr. Hanna will be presented in the District of Columbia Superior Court, at which time a judge will determine if he will be released or jailed pending the judicial process.

Note: I've seen different spellings of the suspect's name, re: Hanna/Hannah, from MPD documents. Will update when I get word from MPD.

Full statement after the jump.

From GLLU Community Outreach Specialist Matt Ashburn:

On October 15, 2008, members of the Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPDC) Joint Fugitive Task force located and arrested 18 year old Robert Hanna, who was being sought pursuant to a District of Columbia Superior Court arrest warrant charging him with Voluntary Manslaughter, related to the death of Tony Randolph Hunter.

Members of the MPDC's Homicide Branch, particularly Detectives Jacqueline Middleton and Jed Worrell, along with members of the Joint Fugitive Task Force, worked tirelessly to ensure the capture of Mr. Hanna. Chief Lanier held a press conference this afternoon, during which she thanked members of the community who had cooperated with investigators and also the countless tips that were forwarded to investigators using the MPDC’s TIP line.

Of particular interest to members of the GLBT community, Chief Lanier stated the case was thoroughly reviewed by prosecutors at the United States Attorney’s Office and there is no evidence to support a hate crime enhancement. Furthermore, Chief Lanier indicated the initial suspected motive of robbery was eventually determined by investigators to not be correct and that the death of Mr. Hunter resulted from an altercation between Mr. Hunter and Mr. Hanna, during which Mr. Hunter suffered injuries which lead to his death.

Mr. Hanna will be presented in the District of Columbia Superior Court, at which time a judge will determine if he will be released or jailed pending the judicial process.
–
Matt W. Ashburn, Auxiliary #1314
Special Liaison Unit
Executive Office of the Chief of Police
Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department
1369-A Connecticut Avenue N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036
E-mail: matthew.ashburn@dc.gov

Details alleged in the suit, via Examiner:

In 1998, Gilkey told investigators in the Hall-Johnson probe that while working in the dark room, Gilkey turned around and saw Gresham holding his penis and smiling. Gilkey ran out of the room and reported it to Gresham’s supervisor.

Over the years, Gilkey said, Gresham offered her thousands of dollars to perform sex acts, commented about her breasts, introduced something called a “peter meter,” brushed up against her in the dark room with an erection, grabbed her breasts and showed her pornography.

In March 2006, Gresham struck Gilkey on the top of her head with a telephone receiver so hard that she bled, the suit alleges.

In 2003, Gresham was awarded with a Metropolitan Police Department lifetime achievement service award. In the program [PDF], Gresham was described as "a consummate photography professional" in "all respects."

* On September 19, GLLU responded to a call from a Maryland man who claimed that his ex-boyfriend had stalked him, and in the process caused "damage to the victim’s personal and work vehicle, the vehicle of a friend and also the victim’s home."

* On September 18, an intoxicated person was arrested in Adams Morgan after yelling "racial and homophobic epithets at pedestrians, as well as making physical threats towards them."

* On September 19, police responded to a complaint from a 15-year-old student at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf, who "was complaining he was sexually assaulted by another male student three weeks prior to reporting the incident to his mother."

* On September 20, police responded to reports of an assault in the Dupont Circle area. The victim claimed to have been "attacked by his former boyfriend at a local bar," suffering injuries that "did not require medical attention."

* Later that day, police arrived at a hospital in response to sexual assault claims from a 21-year-old male. The patient claimed that the night before, he "was rendered unconscious by an unknown means and ended up in the rear of a residence," where he "believes he may have been the victim of a sexual assault."

* On September 21, a "semi-conscious" man was found at the corner of 8th St and Florida Ave. NW., the apparent victim of a hit-and-run. There is no description of the suspect, whose vehicle is described as a "brown or burgundy Mazda."

Read the complete GLLU blotter after the jump.

On 9/17/08, a resident of Maryland contact the GLLU to seek advise regarding the stalking behavior of his ex-boyfriend. According to the male caller, the suspect had caused damage to the victim’s personal and work vehicle, the vehicle of a friend and also the victim’s home. Since all offenses occurred in the state of Maryland, the victim was referred to the Maryland States Attorney’s Office and his local police department for assistance.

On Thursday, 9/18/08, at approximately 11:30 p.m., members of the Third District were summoned to a disorderly person in the 2400 block of 18th Street, N.W. Upon arriving on the scene, they located the suspect, who was highly intoxicated. The suspect was yelling racist and homophobic epithets at pedestrians, as well as making physical threats towards them. The suspect was arrested and the crime was classified as a potential hate/bias crime based upon race and sexual orientation.

On Friday, 9/19/08, members of the Fifth District responded the Model Secondary School for the Deaf, on the campus of Gallaudet University, for the call for a sexual assault. Upon arriving on the scene, the learned that a 15 year old male student was complaining he was sexually assaulted by another male student three weeks prior to reporting the incident to his mother. Members of the Youth Investigations Branch and Deaf and Hard of Hearing Liaison Unit are investigating.

On 9/20/08, at approximately 2 a.m., members of the Second District responded to the area of 33rd and M Streets, N.W. for the report of an assault. Upon arrival, they located the victim, who stated he was attacked by his former boyfriend at a local bar, in the area of 22nd and P Streets, N.W. The suspect was no longer on the scene and a warrant for his arrest will be obtained. The victim suffered minor injuries and did not require medical attention.

On 9/20/08, at approximately 3 p.m., members of the Second District responded to a local hospital for the complaint of a sexual assault. Upon arrival, a 21 year old male complained that on 9/19/08 sometime between 1 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., he was rendered unconscious by an unknown means and ended up in the rear of a residence in the 1700 block of R Street, N.W. The victim believes he may have been the victim of a sexual assault. Members of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Investigations Unit are investigating his allegation.

In the early morning hours of 9/21/08, a male was located in a semi-conscious state at the intersection of 8th Street and Florida Avenue, N.W. The investigation revealed the male was crossing outside the crosswalk, when he was struck by a vehicle traveling eastbound in the 800 block of Florida Avenue, N.W. The vehicle fled the scene without the driver making his/her identity known or rendering assistance to the injured pedestrian. The vehicle is described as a brown or burgundy Mazda. There is not a description of the operator or a license plate number. The victim was treated and released from a local hospital.