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WASHINGTON - The District is getting $12 million from a federal grant to hire 50 police officers, but residents and city officials disagree what the officers should be doing.

D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty says the District currently employs 4,050 officers. He and Police Chief Cathy Lanier (web | news | bio) say those additional cops will patrol the streets, but not everyone agrees that the best use of the additional manpower.

"Cops on the beat are the most effective thing we have for keeping the public safe," said Tom Perrelli, Associate Attorney General.

At the same time the department is getting more officers, the D.C. Council passed a budget calling for a hiring freeze in the department. Over time, it will result in less officers all together.

"Whatever number we ended up at, we're now 50 more than that and that's great news," said Fenty.

Most District residents sat they want to see those 50 additional officers on the streets. "Usually what happens when someone gets killed, we see them out here, then we don't see no one nowhere," said resident William Gorham.

But some say they want less patrols and more outreach. "Keep kids safe and show them the right way to live," said resident Josephine Leonard.

D.C. Council member Phil Mendelson says the addition of the new cops should transfer 50 veteran officers to detective work and close old cases. "If the officers are deployed in a way to free up more detective work, that would be a real plus in terms of law enforcement."

But Fenty disagrees. "Ultimately you want only sworn police officials to determine how you make the final calls on how police should be deployed."

Using crime trends, Lanier says the new cops will have beats on the street in all seven police districts throughout the city. She did not say if they'd focus on specific neighborhoods.

In response to Council member Mendelson, Lanier says she's increased the number of detectives in the department by more than 60. She says those detectives now have very manageable workloads with high closure rates.

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