Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia
Encyclopedia
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
force in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
It is one of the ten largest police forces within the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
The modern-day Metropolitan Police Department was officially formed on August 6, 1861, in accordance with the personal wishes of President Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, who had taken a personal interest in the establishment of regular police for the nation's capital.
Duties
The department's duties include the provision of police services to the city and its inhabitants and to supplement the various uniformed federal law enforcement agencies, primarily the United States Secret ServiceUnited States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
, United States Park Police
United States Park Police
The United States Park Police is one of the oldest uniformed federal law enforcement agencies in the United States. It functions as a full service law enforcement agency with responsibilities and jurisdiction in those National Park Service areas primarily located in the Washington, D.C., San...
, Federal Bureau of Investigation Police
Federal Bureau of Investigation Police
The Federal Bureau of Investigation Police are the uniformed division of the FBI who are tasked to protect FBI facilities, properties, personnel, users, visitors and operations from harm and may enforce certain laws and administrative regulations....
, and United States Capitol Police
United States Capitol Police
The United States Capitol Police is a federal police force charged with protecting the United States Congress within the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its territories.-History:...
in the city. 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
Sex offender registration
Sex offender registration is a system in various states designed to allow government authorities to keep track of the residence and activities of sex offenders, including those who have completed their criminal sentences. In some jurisdictions , information in the registry is made available to the...
.
Leadership
The current Chief of Police is Cathy L. Lanier, who began her career as a Metropolitan Police patrol officer, and is the first female chief of the department. She assumed her post on January 2, 2007, replacing Charles H. RamseyCharles H. Ramsey
Charles H. Ramsey , is the Commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department. Prior to assuming that post in January 2008, he had served as Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia from 1998 to 2006....
, who had served under former Washington, D.C., Mayor Anthony A. Williams
Anthony A. Williams
Anthony Allen "Tony" Williams is an American politician who served as the fifth mayor of the District of Columbia for two terms, from 1999 to 2007. He had previously served as chief financial officer for the District, managing to balance the budget and achieve a surplus within two years of...
and is now the commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department
Philadelphia Police Department
The Philadelphia Police Department is the police agency responsible for law enforcement and investigations within the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
.
Ranks
There are eleven ranks in the Metropolitan Police Department:| Title | Insignia |
|---|---|
| Chief of Police |  |
| Executive Assistant Chief |  |
| Assistant Chief |  |
| Commander Commander Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval... |
 |
| Inspector Inspector Inspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :... |
 |
| Captain Police captain - France :France uses the rank of capitaine for management duties in both uniformed and plain-clothed policing. The rank comes senior to lieutenant and junior to commandant.... |
 |
| Lieutenant Lieutenant A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank... |
 |
| Sergeant Sergeant Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent.... |
 |
| Master Patrol Officer |  |
| Patrol Officer First Class |  |
| Patrol Officer Patrol A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as police officers or soldiers, that are assigned to monitor a specific geographic area.- Military :... / Detective Detective A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"... |
 |
Police districts
- First District http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1239,q,543658,mpdcNav_GID,1534.asp
- Second District http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1239,q,544652,mpdcNav_GID,1535.asp
- Third District http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1239,q,544981,mpdcNav_GID,1536.asp
- Fourth District http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1239,q,545499,mpdcNav_GID,1537.asp
- Fifth District http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1239,q,545954,mpdcNav_GID,1538.asp
- Sixth District http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1239,q,546269,mpdcNav_GID,1539.asp
- Seventh District http://mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1239,q,546633,mpdcNav_GID,1540.asp
Demographics
The department maintains 4,050 sworn officers and 600 civilian support staff, making it one of the ten largest police forces within the United States. The department historically has been known for hiring a large number of African AmericanAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
police officers during times when African American police officers were uncommon in other police departments. In 1968, African Americans constituted 25% of the department's force and in 1970 constituted 35% of the department's force the highest percentages of African American police on a large police department at the time. 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 remainder of the department is 28% White, 5% Hispanic, and 1% Asian. Males account for 76% of the force, while females make up 24%.
Equipment
{Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
Crown Victoria
Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor
Though the name has been officially in use since 1992, the 1978–1991 full-size LTDs and LTD Crown Victorias and 1992 updated body style used the "P72" production code designation for both fleet/taxi and police models, with the model itself being internally classified as S...
Police car
A police car is a ground vehicle used by police, to assist with their duties in patrolling and responding to incidents. Typical uses of a police car include transportation for officers to reach the scene of an incident quickly, to transport criminal suspects, or to patrol an area, while providing a...
Chevrolet Impala
The Chevrolet Impala is a full-size automobile built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors introduced for the 1958 model year. Deriving its name from the southern African antelope, Chevrolet's most expensive passenger model through 1965 had become the best-selling automobile in the United...
Police car
A police car is a ground vehicle used by police, to assist with their duties in patrolling and responding to incidents. Typical uses of a police car include transportation for officers to reach the scene of an incident quickly, to transport criminal suspects, or to patrol an area, while providing a...
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
Taurus
Ford Taurus (third generation)
The third-generation Ford Taurus is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company from 1996 to 1999.The third generation of Ford Taurus was the first to be completely redesigned from the ground up, and used a rounded, oval-derived design that was very controversial at the time, considered to...
Police car
A police car is a ground vehicle used by police, to assist with their duties in patrolling and responding to incidents. Typical uses of a police car include transportation for officers to reach the scene of an incident quickly, to transport criminal suspects, or to patrol an area, while providing a...
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
E-350
Ford E-Series
The Ford E-Series, formerly known as the Econoline or Club Wagon, is a line of full-size vans and truck chassis from the Ford Motor Company. The E-Series is related to the Ford F-Series line of pickup trucks. The line was introduced in 1961 as a compact van and its descendants are still produced...
Van
A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people.In British English usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon or sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs...
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
F-550
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
In media
Author James PattersonJames Patterson
James B. Patterson is an American author of thriller novels, largely known for his series about American psychologist Alex Cross...
features MPD police detective Alex Cross
Alex Cross
Alex Cross is a fictional character, the protagonist in a series of books by novelist James Patterson.-Character overview:Cross is a Black detective and psychologist living and working in the Southeast quadrant of Washington, D.C...
in the Alex Cross series of books.
The syndicated CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television series The District
The District
The District is a television police drama which aired on CBS from October 7, 2000 to May 1, 2004. The show followed the work and personal life of the chief of Washington, D.C.'s Police Department .-Premise:...
dramatized the daily goings on of the police department.
In the 1997 film Murder at 1600
Murder at 1600
Murder at 1600 is a 1997 thriller film starring Wesley Snipes, Diane Lane, Dennis Miller, Ronny Cox, Daniel Benzali, and Alan Alda. The 1600 in the title refers to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the address of the White House. The film is based on the novel Murder in the White House by Margaret Truman,...
, an MPD homicide detective (portrayed by Wesley Snipes
Wesley Snipes
Wesley Trent Snipes is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist, who has starred in numerous action films, thrillers, and dramatic feature films. Snipes is known for playing the Marvel Comics character Blade in the Blade film trilogy, among various other high profile roles...
) investigates a murder at The White House.
The TV series NCIS
NCIS (TV series)
NCIS, formerly known as NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service, is an American police procedural drama television series revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal investigations involving the U.S...
has several references to Metropolitan PD, with several interactions with local law enforcement and NCIS.
The 2009 season of the TV series 24
24 (TV series)
24 is an American television series produced for the Fox Network and syndicated worldwide, starring Kiefer Sutherland as Counter Terrorist Unit agent Jack Bauer. Each 24-episode season covers 24 hours in the life of Bauer, using the real time method of narration...
on Fox starring Kiefer Sutherland has featured the MPD in a few episodes which centers around a terrorist plot against the White House. The MPDC are shown working with the FBI and other major government agencies.
In the movie True Lies
True Lies
True Lies is a 1994 American action-comedy film directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere, Charlton Heston, and Art Malik. Eliza Dushku also appears in the film in one of her first major film roles...
, Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
knocks a MPD Mounted Unit to the ground and confiscates his horse for the pursuit of a terrorist.
In the Film The Invasion
The Invasion
The Invasion was a professional wrestling storyline in the World Wrestling Federation that began shortly after the WWF's purchase of World Championship Wrestling...
Nicole Kidman's character is caught in an altercation with an infected MPD officer.
Fallen officers
Since the establishment of the Metropolitan Police Department, 121 officers have died in the line of duty.The cause of deaths are as follows:
| Cause of death | Number of deaths |
|---|---|
| Accidental | |
| Aircraft accident | |
| Animal related | |
| Automobile accident | |
| Bicycle accident | |
| Drowned | |
| Duty-related illness | |
| Fall | |
| Gunfire | |
| Gunfire (Accidental) | |
| Heart attack | |
| Motorcycle accident | |
| Stabbed | |
| Struck by streetcar | |
| Struck by vehicle | |
| Vehicle pursuit | |
| Vehicular assault | |
See also
- List of law enforcement agencies in the District of Columbia
- Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia ChiefsMetropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia ChiefsThis is a list of police chiefs in the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia.*Cathy L. Lanier Jan. 2007 -*Charles H. Ramsey April 1998 - Dec. 2006*Sonya Proctor Nov. 1997 - April 1998*Larry Soulsby July 1995 - Nov. 1997...