10 DC police officers heading to Puerto Rico to assist with hurricane recovery efforts

Ten D.C. officers will travel to Puerto Rico to assist police on the island, which was heavily damaged from Hurricane Maria last week.

The officers will depart for San Juan on Wednesday for a three-day deployment where they will work with Puerto Rico State Police as residents continue to deal with lack of power along with destroyed homes and roads.

Eight of the District officers heading to the Caribbean island are former Puerto Rico State Police officers who joined the Metropolitan Police Department 15 years ago.

"We are grateful for the support and dedication of every MPD officer. And we are immensely proud of the officers who are volunteering their off-duty time for the San Juan mission," said D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. "Here in D.C., we stand ready to work with our federal and state counterparts to help families in Puerto Rico recover and rebuild."

"We have the opportunity to show the spirit with which MPD officers carry out their work on a day-to-day basis in the District," said D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham. "I am incredibly proud of these officers and their joint commitment to this deployment."