Police union leaders in the District bashed D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson for having a security detail by his home while the city purportedly lacks cops.
The spat started when the D.C. Police Union said Mr. Mendelson called the cops over the weekend because of protesters outside his Southeast residence.
The union said Mr. Mendelson wasn’t happy with the slow response and took it out on Metropolitan Police and the Office of Unified Communications, which handles 911 calls.
“Because he decimated the police department with horrible legislation and our staffing now has 800+ vacancies, there was a delay in responding to his home,” the union said on X. “Because of the delay, Mr. Mendelson called and screamed at the OUC and MPD staff. There is now a permanent security detail at his home staffed by an MPD officer who should be handling more important matters.”
Over the weekend, @ChmnMendelson called the police because there were peaceful protesters at his house. Because he decimated the police department with horrible legislation and our staffing now has 800+ vacancies, there was a delay in responding to his home. 1/3
— DC Police Union (@DCPoliceUnion) July 15, 2025
The union said the 3,100 officers on the force are the lowest in 50 years, “and we now have to dedicate one of them to being a security blanket for a man who hates cops.”
“This nonsense must end immediately,” the union said.
Mr. Mendelson, a Democrat, told Washington’s WTTG that the union has its facts wrong.
“The Union’s claim is made-up and false. I would invite them to listen to the tape,” he said in a statement. “It is also inappropriate for the Union to publicly discuss security procedures for elected officials.”
Demonstrators gathered outside Mr. Mendelson’s home to protest proposed changes to Initiative 82, which institutes a minimum wage for waiters, bartenders and other workers who traditionally rely on tips for income.
Restaurant industry representatives blame the law for killing their viability in the market.
Mayor Muriel Bowser included a repeal of the 2022 ballot measure-turned-law in her budget proposal, and the council also voted to pause the planned increase from $10 to $12 that was set to kick in this month.
But the council passed an amendment this week to remove the I-82 repeal from the budget.
