D.C. Code § 5-116.01
This is the official text of D.C. Code § 5-116.01, part of District of Columbia’s Code — part of the compiled statutory law of District of Columbia, published by the state as "Code." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
§ 5-116.01. Procedures for electronic recording of interrogations.
Official statutory text
(a) (1) The Metropolitan Police Department shall electronically record, in their entirety, and to the greatest extent feasible, custodial interrogations of persons suspected of committing a crime of violence, as that term is defined in § 23-1331(4) , when the interrogation takes place in Metropolitan Police Department interview rooms equipped with electronic recording equipment.
(2) The recording required by paragraph (1) of this subsection shall commence with the first contact between the suspect and law enforcement personnel once the suspect has been placed in the interview room and shall include all subsequent contacts between the suspect and law enforcement personnel in the interview room.
(3) Nothing in this subsection shall prevent the Metropolitan Police Department from recording the actions of the suspect while law enforcement personnel are not in the interview room.
(b) The recording required by subsection (a) of this section shall include the giving of any warnings as to rights required by law, the response of the suspect to such warnings, and the consent, if any, of the suspect to the interrogation. If the required warnings have been given prior to placing the suspect in the interview room, the suspect shall be asked to affirm that he was informed of and waived those rights.
(c) (1) If, after a suspect has been given the warnings as to rights required by law and voluntarily waived such rights, the suspect announces that the suspect will voluntarily speak with law enforcement personnel only on the express condition that the interrogation not be further recorded, the remainder of the interrogation need not be recorded. In such a case, the giving of any warnings, the suspect’s response, the suspect’s conditional consent, and all events preceding the conditional consent shall be recorded.
(2) Law enforcement personnel shall not expressly or implicitly encourage the suspect to give such conditional consent in lieu of a completely recorded interrogation.
(2) The recording required by paragraph (1) of this subsection shall commence with the first contact between the suspect and law enforcement personnel once the suspect has been placed in the interview room and shall include all subsequent contacts between the suspect and law enforcement personnel in the interview room.
(3) Nothing in this subsection shall prevent the Metropolitan Police Department from recording the actions of the suspect while law enforcement personnel are not in the interview room.
(b) The recording required by subsection (a) of this section shall include the giving of any warnings as to rights required by law, the response of the suspect to such warnings, and the consent, if any, of the suspect to the interrogation. If the required warnings have been given prior to placing the suspect in the interview room, the suspect shall be asked to affirm that he was informed of and waived those rights.
(c) (1) If, after a suspect has been given the warnings as to rights required by law and voluntarily waived such rights, the suspect announces that the suspect will voluntarily speak with law enforcement personnel only on the express condition that the interrogation not be further recorded, the remainder of the interrogation need not be recorded. In such a case, the giving of any warnings, the suspect’s response, the suspect’s conditional consent, and all events preceding the conditional consent shall be recorded.
(2) Law enforcement personnel shall not expressly or implicitly encourage the suspect to give such conditional consent in lieu of a completely recorded interrogation.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in District of Columbia?
Find a District of Columbia lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.