Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not to be confused with United States Capitol Police.
Patch of the Metropolitan Police Department
Patch of the Metropolitan Police Department

The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, also known as the DC Police, MPD, and MPDC is the municipal police force for Washington, D.C. It is one of the ten largest police forces within the United States.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

Upon the establishment of the District of Columbia, the states of Maryland and Virginia appointed constables to patrol the city. In 1802, the city was given police primacy and appointed a Captain of the Watch and 15 Watchmen. The modern-day Metropolitan Police Department was officially formed on August 6, 1861 in accordance with the personal wishes of President Abraham Lincoln, who had taken a personal interest in the establishment of regular police for the nation's capital.[2]

[edit] Duties

A parked Metropolitan Police cruiser.
A parked Metropolitan Police cruiser.

The department's duties include the provision of police services to the city and its inhabitants and to supplement the various federal security police forces in the city, with whom the department exercises concurrent jurisdiction. Additionally, due to its location within an independent federal city, the department must exercise the standard functions of a local police force and also handle certain activities normally considered within the domain of a county police or state police agency such as a sex offender registry.

[edit] Leadership

The current Chief of Police is Cathy L. Lanier, who began her career as a MPDC patrol officer, and is the first female chief of the department. She assumed her post on January 2, 2007, replacing Charles H. Ramsey, who had served under former Washington D.C. Mayor Anthony A. Williams and is now Philadelphia Police commissioner.

[edit] Demographics

The department maintains 3,800 sworn officers and 600 civilian support staff, [2] making it one of the ten largest police forces within the United States.[1] In 1978, the department became the first police department in a major city in the United States to become majority African American. The department currently has one of the highest percentages of African American officers amongst United States Police Departments, at 66%. The department is also 28% White, 5% Hispanic, and 1% Asian. Males account for 76% of the force, while females make up 24%.[3]

[edit] In media

The syndicated CBS television series The District dramatizes the daily ongoings of the police department.

[edit] See also

Washington, D.C. Portal

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b About the MPDC
  2. ^ a b Brief History of the MPDC
  3. ^ Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 2000: Data for Individual State and Local Agencies with 100 or More Officers

[edit] External links

v • d • e
State Police/Highway Patrol in the United States
States
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming
Federal District
District of Columbia
Insular areas
Languages