At a “Stop and Frisk,” hearing at Howard University, D.C. Councilman David Grosso said that he was for disarming cops in the district.
Grosso told the crowd, according CBS DC, that, “My staff won’t let me tell you that I think we oughta get rid of guns in the city and that police shouldn’t have guns, so I’m not gonna tell you that.”
Other city council members were quick to defend Grosso. Councilman Tommy Wells stated to CBS that it is not unusual to disarm cops: “In other countries not every police enforcement officer is armed with a weapon that’s going to kill somebody.” He went to claim that it is one thing for a police officer to escalate with a billy club versus a pistol.
Grosso’s call to disarm the police comes at a time when, after a low in 2012, 2013 saw an increase in homicides from 88 to 104, according to the Metro Police Department’s own figures. The 104 includes to Nay Yard shooting in which 12 people were shot and killed. Homicides are up 1.2 percent this year, from 83, at the same point this time last year, to 84 deaths. In addition, overall crime went up about 6 percent between 2010-2012. from 34,655 to 36,762 from the Metro PD’s own numbers.
The Daily Caller reached out to the mayor’s office for comment on Grosso’s remarks. The office did not return request for comment. TheDC also reached out to the Metro PD, but no one was available for comment.
In the hearing, the NAACP and ACLU both testified, CBS reports. The NAACP told the panel that some officers treat black residents like “animals.” One witness testified that with armed cops, a second Ferguson was possible.