D.C. Police Struggle To Staff IMF Protests
Outside Agencies Hesitate to Send Help

By David A. Fahrenthold
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 27, 2002; Page B01

D.C. police said yesterday that pay concerns and jitters about the Sept. 11 anniversary are making it harder to recruit outside security help for next month's International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings, a situation that could require organizers to scale back their activities.

Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey said his department had requested 3,000 officers from departments in other cities and the Washington suburbs for the IMF-World Bank gathering, scheduled Sept. 28-29, but that so far he has received commitments totaling about 700.

Officials expect thousands of protesters in Washington for the meetings, and some demonstrators have announced plans for marches and traffic disruptions, beginning Sept. 25.

District officials said yesterday that without additional officers to supplement the 1,400 D.C. police working at the protests, they might be forced to patrol a smaller area, restrict delegates' movement or seek more help from federal law enforcement agencies or the National Guard.

The shortage of officers, Ramsey said, has already forced one major change: For the first time in years, all the business meetings normally held at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, in Woodley Park, will take place at the IMF and World Bank headquarters buildings in downtown's West End.

"We told them we can't serve both sites," Ramsey said.

Ramsey said that some jurisdictions have been reluctant to send officers to Washington because the IMF-World bank meetings will be held shortly after the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks; others have expressed concern that the District might not be reimbursed for the cost of the extra police protection -- and thus might not be able to pay officers from other departments.

"It would affect me if I was sending people somewhere," Ramsey said. "It's only right that the [federal] government reimburse us."

The District is negotiating with federal officials about reimbursing police for this fall's events and for a previous round of IMF-World Bank protests, in April.

Ramsey said the cost of police protection next month -- including overtime for D.C. officers and pay, transportation, food and lodging for out-of-town officers -- could be $14 million or more.

Under a plan proposed by President Bush, the federal government would provide $15 million to the District in fiscal 2003 to cover the cost of events such as the IMF-World Bank meetings. But those funds cannot be used to pay police protection expenses incurred during fiscal 2002, officials said.

Tony Bullock, a spokesman for Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D), said city officials, absent reimbursement, had threatened to scale back the police commitment significantly and force the federal government to provide security for the meetings.

"There is a very real possibility that we're not going to extend to them any significant police presence at this event," Bullock said. "We're in a 'Show us the money' mode at this point."

Ramsey played down the idea that D.C. police would ignore the protests. But other officials said a shortage of officers might mean that police are not available to escort cars carrying delegates or provide security at their hotels. Protesters might also be kept farther away from the meetings, officials said.

"If we are not able to get that kind of resources, we have a very different event," said Margret Nedelkoff Kellems, the District's deputy mayor for public safety and justice.

The IMF and the World Bank declined to comment yesterday about security arrangements.

Police and protest groups say it is too early to estimate how many demonstrators will come to Washington. Last fall, police lined up about 5,000 officers from other jurisdictions, but the meetings were canceled after the Sept. 11 attacks. This year, anti-globalization demonstrators are planning five days of marches, rallies and teach-ins before and during the meetings.

The Mobilization for Global Justice, a D.C.-based coalition that has organized many of the capital's anti-globalization protests, is planning a Sept. 28 rally and march. The group contends that many of the world's poorest countries have suffered under IMF and World Bank programs.

A day earlier, the D.C.-based Anti-Capitalist Convergence is planning a "People's Strike," in which activists are being asked to block traffic to stop people from getting in and out of the city.

Ramsey said his department had commitments from area and out-of-area police agencies but is waiting to hear back from New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Cleveland.

Staff writer Manny Fernandez contributed to this report.