CM Christina Henderson

Conversation included topics such as responding to calls that may involve behavioral health, over vs under responding with resources, handling day to day challenges, and how to better prepare students for a career in emergency services.
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Great conversation with yesterday during the department’s District Government Immersion Day, an integral component to their Leadership Cohort 2025 - 2026 Mentorship Program. 1/2

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Ongoing review and monitoring deters against instances like our need to close the gap between DC and our neighbors when it comes to CRF reimbursement rates. 1/3

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Two weeks ago I held a roundtable on operational and safety concerns at St. Elizabeths Hospital. Yesterday, at the Committee on Health’s performance oversight hearing for DBH I revisited some of those concerns with leadership. 1/3

Performance Oversight of Department of Behavioral Health (Government Witnesses Only) YouTube video by Councilmember Christina Henderson

LIVE: Performance Oversight of Department of Behavioral Health (Government Witnesses Only)

WATCH HERE: www.youtube.com/live/bGQxe_S...

YouTube video by Councilmember Christina Henderson Performance Oversight of Department of Behavioral Health (Public Witnesses Only)

LIVE: Committee on Health's Performance Oversight Hearing on the Department of Behavioral Health www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHLa...

Normal collection schedules for both frontside and alley-served homes will resume.

• Frontside collection: resume regular pickup day
• Alley collection: resume regular pickup day and leave bins out until they are collected.

In celebration of Black History Month I’d like to uplift the African American Heritage Trail! While the AAHT is well known many aren’t aware of its accompanying guide. With 27 days left in Black History Month it’s a great way to explore DC Black History.

🔗: bit.ly/4rwu06Z

Read The Henderson Brief to learn more.
www.christinahendersondc.com/newsletters/...

As always there’s a lot going on in DC. Winter weather and performance oversight hearings have left the Council w/ many questions, plus congressional interference is once again aiming to blow a hole in our budget. This time estimating to about $820 million through DC’s 4 year financial plan.

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The hardest thing to turn around is a reputation and over the year that Cedar Hill has been open there have been missed milestones. My office has sent letters and held meetings to gain information, yet it hasn’t been readily available. 1/2

Having a building that has the capacity for 170 people but is being capped at 100 while people are still homeless is a problem.

Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services & Department of Health Care Finance (Government Witness) YouTube video by Councilmember Christina Henderson

LIVE: Performance Oversight of Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services and Department of Health Care Finance (Governmnet Witness Only)

WATCH IT HERE: www.youtube.com/live/dmd4kIc...

Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services & Department of Health Care Finance (Public Witness) YouTube video by Councilmember Christina Henderson

LIVE: Performance Oversight of Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services and Department of Health Care Finance (Public Witness Only)

WATCH IT HERE: www.youtube.com/live/7xBIjAG...

Committee Meeting YouTube video by Councilmember Christina Henderson

LIVE: The Committee on Health holds an additional meeting on the Board of Dietetics and Nutrition Kayla Smith Confirmation Resolution and the Board of Dietetics and Nutrition Rachel Gabauer Confirmation Resolution.

WATCH HERE: www.youtube.com/live/NYun_gu...

A Snow Emergency has been declared in the District from Saturday, Jan 24 to Tuesday, Jan 27. All vehicles must be removed from snow emergency routes and parking on them is banned until the end of the emergency. Check to see if you're parked on a snow emergency route ⬇️

Performance Oversight Hearings for the Committee on Health start next week and we’re hitting the ground running! See the full schedule ⬇️

You can to register to testify or submit testimony at the DC Council website: lims.dccouncil.gov/Hearings/hea...

YouTube video by Councilmember Christina Henderson Roundtable on Board of Dietetics and Nutrition Nominees

LIVE: Committee on Health holds Nominee Confirmations to the Board of Dietetics and Nutrition
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZQc...

Saint Elizabeths Hospital Operational and Safety Concerns YouTube video by Councilmember Christina Henderson

LIVE: Saint Elizabeths Hospital Operational and Safety Concerns

www.youtube.com/live/64XsWFG...

Since, there have been several alarming media reports about Flock’s data sharing capabilities which I believe demand further scrutiny. 2/2

Dear Interim Chief Carroll, I am writing to inquire about the status of the Metropolitan Police Department's ("MPD") use of Flock Safety ("Flock") technology. Flock operates one of the largest surveillance camera networks in the United States. The firm primarily contracts with local law enforcement, commercial, and private partners. According to records available from the Office of Contracting and Procurement ("OCP"), in December 2024, MPD entered into a firm fixed price contract with Insight Public Sector for 67 Flock automated license plate reader ("ALPR") camera systems and supporting software, software training, software maintenance and upgrades, and implementation. ' The contract's base period ran from 12/31/2024 - 12/30/2025. I am not opposed to the use of ALPRs or surveillance cameras, per se. These technologies can be helpful tools in preventing and solving crimes. However, there have been alarming media reports about Flock's data sharing capabilities which I believe demands further scrutiny. Although Flock sells hardware to customers, its major selling point to law enforcement agencies is its National Lookup Tool, a feature that permits other enrolled customers to search data collected through any ALPR camera of participating customers? In essence, this creates a national surveillance data-sharing network which, for example, would allow law enforcement agencies in Florida to access footage from an ALPR in Indiana without Indiana law enforcement's awareness or active sign-off. In 2025, Flock reported that 75% of its law enforcement customers participated in this feature, so we know it is popular. But we also know that it is not always used in a manner that the vast majority of District residents would agree with. Last May, there were reports of local law enforcement officers in Texas using the Flock tool to conduct a nationwide search for the vehicle of a woman who was believed to have had an abortion, which is illegal in Texas?

In September, the Virgina Center for Investigative Journalism released analysis that showed data gathered through local law enforcement agencies in Virginia who contract with Flock was searched over 3,000 times by federal law enforcement officers through the National Lookup Tool to surveil immigrants for deportation proceedings.* Flock claims that the company has never contracted with federal law enforcement. However, Flock piloted a partnership with federal law enforcement, including US Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, the Secret Service, and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, providing these agencies with access to its systems and thereby all of the data of its networked jurisdictions. Flock reported that HSI conducted 200 searches and CPB conducted 175 searches during the pilot.' While Flock has stated that this pilot project has ended, federal law enforcement has the means to continue accessing data collected by Flock's customers. In Washington, Michigan, and Florida, local police departments added federal immigration enforcement officers to their approved Flock system user lists, allowing federal officials to access data at those departments' disposal.® In one instance, federal law enforcement accessed a Virginia law enforcement department's database because an employee provided access without the department's authorization; department policy alone cannot prevent unauthorized access to the National Lookup Tool.? Flock puts no guardrails on its systems; it acknowledges that data collected through its systems may be provided to federal immigration enforcement agencies at the discretion of its customers.® The immediate, unquestioned access to surveillance data made available by Flock's National Lookup Tool goes far beyond the standard data-sharing practices of local law enforcement agencies. It also undermines shield laws, such as the District's Human Rights Sanctuary Amendment Act of 2022, which prohibits

our police officers from participating in interstate investigations regarding a person seeking abortion or gender-affirming care. As I stated earlier, I am not opposed to ALPR technology; however, I am opposed to District taxpayers potentially subsidizing a surveillance network that does not expressly advance the District's public safety interests. Outside law enforcement agencies should not obtain surveillance data obtained through a District-subsidized contract without MPD's awareness and express permission on a case-by-case basis. Information made available by OCP regarding MPD's contract with Flock is limited, so I would appreciate responses to the following questions no later than January 31, 2026. 1. The base year of the contract for Flock ALPRs ran from 12/31/2024-12/30/2025. Has MPD extended this contract? a. If yes, provide the total cost of the contract extension and the contract term. b. Were there any contract modifications beyond the contract term? 2. Were all 67 Flock ALPRs outlined in the base year contract delivered and installed timely? a. What criteria did MPD use when determining the placement of the 67 Flock ALPRs? b. Does MPD have the ability to move the location of these ALPRs independently? Or does the contractor relocate the devices? 3. Does MPD participate in Flock's National Lookup Tool? 4. Do any clauses in MPD's contract with Flock give MPD exclusive ownership of data collected on Flock cameras? If so, provide a copy of the contract with any such language highlighted. 5. Describe the protocol for who within MPD has the access to the Flock software system, and, if applicable, the National Lookup Tool. 6. What, if any, safeguards does MPD employ in its contract with Flock to ensure that its use complies with District law? a. Does MPD audit access logs to ensure that Flock's software is not being used improperly within MPD? b. Who within MPD has access to the Flock APLR database?

c. Does MPD have internal policies requiring those who search the Flock ALPR database to provide clear case-specific reasons for a search? Or does MPD policy permit generic search terms that provide minimal detail about the reasons for a search? 7. Describe MPD's process for external law enforcement, including federal law enforcement, to request data collected through surveillance technology owned or contracted for use by MPD. 8. Has any person who works for MPD ever facilitated access to footage gathered through surveillance cameras, including Flock LPRs, to federal law enforcement? a. Does MPD have a policy governing employees' ability to share data or provide access to data with outside entities? Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter. You may contact my Legislative Director, Gabrielle Rogoff, at grogoff@dccouncil.gov, with any questions. Sincerely, Christina Henderson At-Large Councilmember Chair, Committee on Health

This morning I sent a letter to Interim MPD Police Chief Jeffery Carroll asking about MPD’s use of Flock Safety tech. In 2024 MPD entered into a contract with Insight Public Sector for 67 Flock automated license reader (ALPR) camera systems. 1/2

"The great masses of people are determined to end the exploitation of their races and lands. And in majestic chorus they are singing the words of our freedom song, "ain't gonna let nobody turn us around" And so the collision course is set. The people cry for freedom and the congress attempts to legislate repression. " Speech: The Three Evils of Society, keynote address delivered at the National Conference on New Politics, Chicago, IL, 08/31/1967

"A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the frames and justice of many of our past and present policies. On the one hand, we are called to play the Good Samaritan on life's roadside, but that will only be an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho Road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life's highway. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring." Speech: Beyond Vietnam, speech at Riverside Church in New York City, 02/4/1967

In my latest version of The Henderson Brief I offered readers the chance to better acquaint themselves with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s work beyond “I Have a Dream”. Today, in celebration of his life of service I share quotes that may not be as familiar to you.

We’ll use Alt text going forward!

Today, we’ll be looking at actions. Oversight alone cannot change systems, but as we head into performance oversight season ,which begins next week, I’ll be approaching hearings with this lens: Are our programs just bandaids or are we on a path to shift the system?

Many decades ago, Dr. King himself was also calling for Americans to address “the groundwater.” Given the way school curriculums are set today, I hope that people have read King’s work beyond “I Have a Dream.” So, over the weekend, I’d offer up the following given what our country is currently experiencing: Speech: The Three Evils of Society, keynote address delivered at the National Conference on New Politics, Chicago, IL, August 31, 1967 Speech: Beyond Vietnam, speech at Riverside Church in New York City, February 4, 1967 Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963 Sermon: The Drum Major Instinct, sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, GA February 4, 1968

The rest of the newsletter includes information about upcoming hearings and events. The work continues... In Service, Christina Henderson Councilmember, At-Large ChristinaHendersonDC.com

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Dear Neighbors, I don’t know about you, but heading into the holiday weekend celebrating the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King feels draped with a particular tension this year. The same people who will inevitably praise and misquote Dr. King about being colorblind are in fact funding a regime that is actively racially profiling individuals on the street to ask for their papers. They are the very same people canceling critical health research grants for the mere mention of the word “diversity” in a grant proposal. Brace yourself – hypocrisy will be on high display in America come Monday.

Though Dr. King was committed to non-violence, that did not make him a so-called moderate in his demands for change. Dr. King was fiercely opposed to systemic racism. He was anti-war and critiqued the United States for placing “insatiable military demands” above the critical needs of our own underprivileged citizens. Dr. King called out Democrats and Republicans alike for not doing enough to advance civil rights. He believed in racial alliances and labor solidarity to break economic inequality. It is crazy the number of speeches and writings of King in the 1960s that apply to our current times. But as it turns out, racism was not just “a passing phase” in the cycles of our nation’s life.

As I write this, I’m preparing to head into Day 2 of immersive workshops led by the Groundwater Institute with my cohort for Leadership Greater Washington. Groundwater’s approach is grounded in three things: 1) Racial inequity looks the same across systems; 2) Socio-economic difference does not explain the racial inequity; 3) Systems contribute significantly to disparities. I’ve done several racial justice type workshops and trainings in my life, but Groundwater’s focus on systems is unique.

I stayed up way too late into the evening looking at my notes and reflecting on this from one of our facilitators: ‘Most of us are trained to fix people. We are not trained to fix systems – infrastructure – “the groundwater.”’ Sometimes even laws do not change systems. For example, in 2018, the rate of black homeownership was virtually the same as it was when the Fair Housing Act passed in 1968. Day 1 was understanding how the system was built. It’s hard to undo a system if you do not understand how it got there in the first place. A wealth of information was shared, and even I as a history buff learned new stories I hadn’t heard about the founding of this country. Do you know the story of John Punch in 1640?

Celebrating the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King feels draped with a particular tension this year.

Read the latest installation of The Henderson Brief at the link below.

www.christinahendersondc.com/newsletters/...

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