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The District of Columbia Housing Authority Police Department is a relatively new department, having been created by the DC Housing Authority in 1995, while under the court ordered receivership of David Gilmore. In 2000, David Gilmore turned over the governing reigns of the DCHA to a 9 member Board of Commissioners, led by Chairman Russell Simmons. Michael Kelly was chosen as the Executive Director of the DCHA.

Because we are a new department, with a small number of officers, we owe a great debt of gratitude to the DC Metropolitan Police Department for the academy training and the regular backup that is given by their officers. Now, there are lots of people who believe that almost everyone living in the public housing properties of DC are a bad element of society. However, only a small percentage of the tenants, or their guests, actually represent the criminal element on DCHA properties. And unfortunately, these are the people that you most often read about.

There are approximately 53 public housing properties in the District of Columbia. And while some of the properties are currently in need of renovation, DCHA Executive Director, Michael Kelly, is working diligently to give the residents of DCHA properties a home of which they can be proud. Under the leadership of the Executive Director, the DCHA is making great strides in improving the living conditions for the residents of public housing in Washington, DC.

As DCHA officers, it is our job, a job that most of us take very seriously, to preserve the peace, while maintaining the dignity, and rights of the tenants of our properties.