Cathy L. Lanier
| Cathy L. Lanier | |
|---|---|
 Cathy L. Lanier |
|
| Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia | |
| Born 1967 | |
| Nickname | "Blondie" |
| Place of birth | Tuxedo, Maryland, United States |
| Service branch | United States |
| Years of service | 1990 - |
| Rank | Sworn in as an officer - 1990 Sergeant- 1994 Lieutenant - 1996 Captain - 1999 Inspector - 1999 Commander - 2000 Chief of Police - 2006 |
Cathy L. Lanier is the Chief of Police with the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPDC). She was appointed by Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty to replace outgoing Police Chief Charles Ramsey. Lanier is the first woman to achieve the position.
[edit] Biography
Lanier was raised in suburban Tuxedo, Maryland, on the northeast edge of the District of Columbia in Prince George's County, Maryland, and joined the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia in 1990 as a foot patrolman. In 1994 she was promoted to Sergeant, and, two years later, a Lieutenant, before becoming a patrol supervisor. In 1999, she became a Captain and, later that year, was promoted to Inspector and placed in charge of the Department's Major Narcotics Branch/Gang Crime Unit. In August 2000, she was promoted to Commander-in-Charge of the Fourth District of the city. In April 2006, she became the Commander at the Office of Homeland Security and Counter-terrorism, Office of the Chief of Police in MPDC, overseeing, among other things, the bomb squad and the emergency response team.[1]
She has both Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in management from Johns Hopkins University and holds a Master of Arts in national security studies from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California; her thesis was Preventing Terror Attacks in the Homeland: A New Mission for State and Local Police.[2] She attended an executive education program at Harvard Kennedy School. She also performed part of her undergraduate studies at Prince George's Community College, and the University of the District of Columbia - where she also received her GED.[3]
Chief Lanier rose to her position from humble beginnings: she was a junior high school dropout after ninth grade, and an unwed mother at the age of 15.[4]
[edit] Controversies
Lanier came under fire in July 2009 after claiming that motorists who used GPS and iPhone technology to avoid traffic cameras were employing a "cowardly tactic".[5]
She publicly criticized a plainclothes officer, Detective Michael Baylor, who drew his gun on a group of civilians during a Washington, D.C., Twitter-organized snowball fight as a response to snowballs hitting his vehicle on 19 December 2009. Video footage and eye-witness accounts have been used in the investigation. Baylor was placed on desk duty during the investigation[6] but returned to active duty following the completion of the investigation.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ Sari Horowitz (2005-06-12). "Israeli Experts Teach Police On Terrorism: Training Programs Prompt Policy Shifts". Washington Post. http://www.mindfully.org/Reform/2005/Israeli-Terrorism-Training12jun05.htm.
- ^ Lanier's Masters Thesis Preventing Terror Attacks in the Homeland: A New Mission for State and Local Police
- ^ David Nakamura, Allison Klein and Howard Schneider (2006-11-20). "Fenty Picks Lanier for D.C. Police Chief". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/20/AR2006112000279.html.
- ^ CNN Newsroom interview transcript
- ^ Peterson, Hayley (7 July 2009). "Police chief denounces 'cowardly' iPhone users monitoring speed traps". Washington Examiner. http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Devices-that-warn-drivers-of-speed_-red-light-cameras-draw-police-ire-7930619-50074717.html. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
- ^ Maria Glod; Theola Labbé-DeBose (22 December 2009). "Lanier blasts detective for pulling gun at snowball fight". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/21/AR2009122103405.html.
- ^ Stabley, Matthew (4 March 2010). "Pulling a Gun at a Snowball Fight Not a "Termination Offense"". NBC Washington. http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Pulling-a-Gun-at-a-Snowball-Fight-Not-a-Termination-Offense-86419047.html. Retrieved 13 February 2012. ""As soon as this whole process wraps up, he'll be put back to duty," Lanier said."
| Police appointments | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles H. Ramsey |
Chief, Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia | Incumbent |
- 1967 births
- Living people
- Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia Chiefs
- Johns Hopkins University alumni
- John F. Kennedy School of Government alumni
- University of the District of Columbia alumni
- Naval Postgraduate School alumni
- People from Prince George's County, Maryland
- Washington, D.C. government officials
