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The Control Board fired two previous Inspectors General for not having
either auditing experience (Robert Thomas) or investigative experience (Angela Avant).
Now, the secretive MOU Partners have selected E. Barrett Prettyman, who has neither
investigative nor auditing experience, as the new Inspector General of the District of
Columbia.
Prettyman has indicated that he will take the position on January 15,
1998. He has agreed to be Inspector General for only six months. He will accept no pay,
since he will continue to pursue his current legal practice at Hogan and Hartson while he
acts as Inspector General. As Inspector General, he will focus most of his attention on
the Metropolitan Police Department. With the concurrence and approval of the MOU Partners
and the Control Board, he will hire a senior deputy in the Inspector General's office who
will be responsible for investigating waste and mismanagement throughout the rest of the
District government.
During his press conference on December 30, 1997, Prettyman indicated
that he secured his position through his long-time friendship with the current Corporation
Counsel, John Ferren, who was also a senior partner at Hogan and Hartson. Prettyman
indicated that he had no knowledge of or experience with the MPD other than what he had
read in the newspapers, but he said that he believed the general public might feel a
"lack of confidence" in the police department. Although he had no idea of the
budget for or staffing of the Inspector General's office, he indicated that he intended to
hire additional personal staff. Andrew Brimmer, chairman of the DC Financial
Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority, said that the staff and budget of the
Inspector General's office "will be expanded to meet Mr. Prettyman's needs."
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING PARTNERS
Staff Office: One Thomas Circle, N.W., Suite 900
Washington, DC 20005 (202) 504-3400
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 30, 1997
CONTACT: Jim Davison
202/504-3435
STATEMENT OF STEPHEN HARLAN
Good morning. The Memorandum of Understanding Partners called this press conference
today to identify, and to recommend a candidate, for the position of Inspector
General for the District of Columbia. Before I talk about our candidate, and his
experience and qualifications for the position, let me that the MOU partners have
followed, and what we expect from our nominee.
As many of you know, the MOU Partnership is comprised of Mayor Barry; the Chief of
Police, acting Chief Sonya Proctor; the Authority, represented in the MOU by
Constance Newman and myself; the Council of the District of Columbia, represented
by the Chair of the Council Linda Cropp; and the Chair of the Judiciary Committee, Jack
Evans; the U.S. Attorney, represented by Mary Lou Leary and Ramsey Johnson; the Corporation
Counsel, represented by John Ferren and the Chief Judge of the Superior Court, Judge
Eugene Hamilton.
Public Law 104-8 provides that the Mayor shall nominate an individual as
Inspector General, and "the nomination shall be effective after a seven day
review period of the City Council, and subject to approval by a majority vote of the
Authority." For the purpose of this nomination, the Mayor, in consensus agreement
with the MOU partners, has been actively involved m searching for, recommending for
interview, interviewing, and selecting a candidate for Inspector General. It is
through the MOU Partners that this recommendation is being made. We expect the
Mayor, the Council, and the Authority, all represented through membership in the MOU, to
concur with our recommendation.
We also expect that once approved, and in office, the Inspector General
will make an investigation for mismanagement and potential corruption in the Metropolitan
Police Department a priority. To make this point perfectly clear, we expect such an
investigation to review fiscal operations, management functions, personnel policies, audit
systems and controls, command relationships, and other activities of the MPD, all bearing
on the efficiency, integrity, and statutory responsibility of that Department. The MOU
partners also expect that special efforts shall be focused on the proper treatment of
whistle blowers, eliminating retaliatory personnel practices (including unfair use of
promotions and demotions), preventing abuses of leave and overtime policies, reviewing and
improving personnel disciplinary policies and practices (including procedures for
termination), reviewing and improving procedures for handling citizen complaints, and
ending wrongdoing that is egregious but does not rise to the level of criminality.
Because the position of Inspector General is presently vacant and the
fact that the Office has not reviewed the operation of the MPD, the MOU partners have felt
it imperative that this position be filled immediately by a person of unquestioned
ability, integrity, and zeal to carry out the full range of the Inspector General's
statutory powers.
The words unquestioned ability, integrity, and zeal, define the man we
recommend for the job of Inspector General. Mr. E. Barrett Prettyman, Jr., a D. C.
resident of long standing, has a distinguished history of involvement and community
service in the District of Columbia. He was the first President of the District of
Columbia Bar, to which all lawyers admitted to practice in the District belong. He is a
member of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He has been a partner in the law firm of
Hogan and Hartson since 1964, clerked for three Supreme Court Justices, was a Special
Assistant to the Attorney General and to the White House and was the special outside
counsel to three Congressional Committees, including the House Ethics Committee
investigation of the ABSCAM cases. Mr. Prettyman is one of the most respected attorneys in
our city.
In addition, Mr. Prettyman is committed to Washington. He is
underscoring this commitment by accepting this challenging position without compensation.
We believe Mr. Prettyman will be an independent, effective and active
Inspector General, and we look forward to a close working relationship with him.
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Press Conference Announcing Nomination of Inspector General
December 30, 1997
I am pleased to be here today to make this most important announcement. Public safety
in this city is the number one issue facing all of the stakeholders in the District of
Columbia -- the elected leaders, the appointed leaders, the Congress and all of our
citizens. People ought to be able to feel safe in their homes and cars, or walking on our
streets.
Because public safety has taken on such a high priority, I joined with the Financial
Authority, the U.S. Attorney, the Chief of Police, the Corporation Counsel, Judge Hamilton
and the Council's Judiciary Committee earlier this year to form the Memo of Understanding,
which I wrote to make sure that the District does a better job in ensuring public safety.
The Memorandum of Understanding was accepted and adopted by all other partners, and it
ought to serve as a model for the nation's cities.
The Memo of Understanding effort has worked. Crime is down in our city. Homicides are
down this year-- more than 23 percent lower than last year. There are more police officers
on patrol on D.C. streets. I think the MOU has had a very positive effect in our city.
However, some people have recently called into question the credibility and integrity
of the Metropolitan Police Department. While I don't believe that there is massive or
systemic corruption among the police, some people do believe this to be true.
All of the MOU partners felt the need to look at this to see if there was endemic
corruption, or if recent revelations about the department were isolated incidents. We all
had different thoughts about how to accomplish this.
Initially, I thought we needed an independent commission. However, this effort would
have been fraught with problems. It could have taken three to four months to accomplish
and this would not have been an expeditious way to conduct an investigation. The other MOU
partners had other ideas and we finally settled upon a 3-pronged approach.
"The U.S. Attorney will investigate criminal activities; a special, investigative
committee of the Council of the District of Columbia will investigate allegations of
misconduct and mismanagement at the Department and the Inspector General will investigate
and review the fiscal operations, management functions, personnel policies and other
operations of the police department. Special efforts will be focused on proper treatment
of whistle blowers, eliminating retaliatory personnel practices, preventing abuses of
leave and overtime policies, reviewing and improving procedures for handling citizen
complaints and ending wrongdoing that is egregious but does not rise to the level of
criminality.
"The selection of a new Inspector General was done in a cooperative way. In my
press conference on December 10, I indicated that I wanted input from the MOU partners as
to who the Inspector General would be.
In the past, the Board and myself have had different points of view as it related to
appointments. However, on this appointment all parties have agreed that Mr. Prettyman had
the right qualifications and experience. We had a list of from 12 to 15 candidates and all
narrowed down the choice to 3, and then chose Mr. Prettyman.
"The person whose name I intend to send over to the Council and the Authority is
E. Barrett Prettyman, a man of integrity and vast experience in government and
investigations work. Mr. Prettyman has served as a Special Assistant to Attorney General
Robert F. Kennedy and to the White House. He has also served as special or outside counsel
to three Congressional Committees. Mr. Prettyman is currently a partner with Hogan &
Hartson. He has agreed to take this job without compensation.
"The city is fortunate to have a man of Mr. Prettyman's caliber available to
them," concluded Mayor Barry.
A copy of Mr. Prettyman's resume is attached.
Back to top of page
1945- 1949: Yale University (B.A., 1949)
1949-1950: Reporter, Providence Journal (Rhode Island)
1950-1953: University of Virginia Law School (LL.B., 1953). Decisions Editor, Virginia
Law Review; Winner, 1953 Moot Court competition; Winner, prize for best Note in Vol. 38,
Virginia Law Review.
1953-1955: Law Clerk, successively, to Hon. Robert H. Jackson, 1953 Term, Hon. Felix
Frankfurter and Hon. John M. Harlan, 1954 Term, Supreme Court of the United States
1955: Co-editor, Justice Jackson's posthumous book, "The Supreme Court in the
American System of Government".
1955- 1963: Associate, Hogan & Hartson, Washington, D. C.
April 1963-July 1963: Special Assistant to the Attorney General of the
United States.
July 1963-April 1964: Special Assistant to the White House and the President's
representative on the Interagency Committee on Transport Mergers.
July 1, 1964-Present: Partner, Hogan & Hartson
Special Counsel to Committee on Standards of Official Conduct of the United States
House of Representatives, "ABSCAM" investigation (1980 - 1981).
Outside Counsel to Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the House Committee
on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, in United States v. AT&T (1976-
1977).
Special Consultant to Subcommittee to Investigate Problems Connected with Refugees and
Escapees, Senate Judiciary Committee; fact-finding trip to Vietnam (1967-1968)
OTHER PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:
Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
First President, District of Columbia (Unified) Bar (1972-73)
Past President, American Academy of Appellate Lawyers
Past President, D.C. Bar Foundation
Past President, PEN/Faulkner Foundation
Past President, the Lawyers Club of Washington
Past President, Washington Children's Fund
Commissioner (appointed by the Chief Justice), Judicial Fellows
Chairman (1965-67), Board of Governors, St. Albans School Washington, D. C.
Trustee Emeritus, American University, Washington, D. C.
Former member, International Advisory Group, Toshiba Corporation
Vice President, Supreme Court Historical Society
Member, Judicial Conference of the District of Columbia (since 1958)
Member, District of Columbia and Supreme Court Bars. Also admitted to practice in the
United States Courts of Appeals for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 11th and
District of Columbia Circuits
Member, Committee on Appellate Practice, Appellate Judges Conference
Author, "Death and the Supreme Court" (Harcourt, Brace & World 1961)
(winner, Edgar Allen Poe Award); "Petitioning the United States Supreme Court -- A
Primer For Hopeful Neophytes", 51 Va.L.Rev. 582 (1965); "Opposing Certiorari in
the United States Supreme Court", 61 Va.L.Rev. 197 (1975); "Supreme Court
Advocacy:: Random Thoughts in a Day of Time Restrictions", 4 Litigation Magazine (no.
2, 1978) 16; "Differences of Opinion", The American Lawyer (May 1995) at 75; and
other articles.
Argued: 19 cases in U.S. Supreme Court and cases in most Circuits. |
