The
Smithsonian InstitutionThe Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its shops and its magazines...
Office of Protection ServicesSecurity police are those persons, employed by or for a governmental agency, who provide police and security services to those agencies' properties....
is the guard force of the
Smithsonian InstitutionThe Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its shops and its magazines...
.
It is a federal guard force with limited
special policeSpecial police and Special Police Force are terms which have different meanings in different countries, as described below.-Canada:Special Police is not a term used in Canada...
authority tasked with protecting visitors, staff, property, and grounds of the
federally-owned and managedThe federal government of the United States is the central government entity established by the United States Constitution, which shares sovereignty over the United States with the governments of the individual U.S. states. The federal government has three branches: the legislative, executive, and...
Smithsonian Institution
museumA museum is a building or institution which houses a collection of artifacts.Museums collect and care for objects of scientific, artistic, or historical importance and make them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary...
s and research centers in
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, founded on July 16, 1790...
,
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
and
VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue...
.
The Smithsonian Institution was created by
CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election....
in 1846.
There are several positions within the Office of Protection:
- Smithsonian Museum Protection Officers are U.S.
The
Smithsonian InstitutionThe Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its shops and its magazines...
Office of Protection ServicesSecurity police are those persons, employed by or for a governmental agency, who provide police and security services to those agencies' properties....
is the guard force of the
Smithsonian InstitutionThe Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its shops and its magazines...
.
It is a federal guard force with limited
special policeSpecial police and Special Police Force are terms which have different meanings in different countries, as described below.-Canada:Special Police is not a term used in Canada...
authority tasked with protecting visitors, staff, property, and grounds of the
federally-owned and managedThe federal government of the United States is the central government entity established by the United States Constitution, which shares sovereignty over the United States with the governments of the individual U.S. states. The federal government has three branches: the legislative, executive, and...
Smithsonian Institution
museumA museum is a building or institution which houses a collection of artifacts.Museums collect and care for objects of scientific, artistic, or historical importance and make them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary...
s and research centers in
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, founded on July 16, 1790...
,
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
and
VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue...
.
The Smithsonian Institution was created by
CongressThe United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States of America, consisting of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election....
in 1846.
Positions
There are several positions within the Office of Protection:
- Smithsonian Museum Protection Officers are U.S. federal government employees that are designated as "special police" under the United States Code
The United States Code is a compilation and codification of the general and permanent federal law of the United States. It contains 50 titles and is published every six years by the Office of the Law Revision Counsel of the US House of Representatives.- Codification process :The official text of...
(Title 10Title 10 of the United States Code outlines the role of armed forces in the United States Code.It provides the legal basis for the roles, missions and organization of each of the services as well as the United States Department of Defense...
, Chapter 63, §6306). They undergo three weeks of training in firearmA firearm is a device which projects either single or multiple projectiles at high velocity through a controlled explosion. The firing is achieved by the gases produced through rapid, confined burning of a propellant. This process of rapid burning is technically known as deflagration...
use, arrestAn arrest is the act of depriving a person of his or her liberty usually in relation to the investigation and prevention of crime. The term is Anglo-Norman in origin and is related to the French word arrêt, meaning "stop".-United States:...
, handcuffHandcuffs are restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists close together. They comprise two parts, linked together by a chain, a hinge or in the case of rigid cuffs, a bar. Each half has a rotating arm which engages with a ratchet that prevents it from being opened once closed...
procedures, and pepper sprayPepper spray, also known as OC spray , OC gas, and capsicum spray, is a lachrymatory agent that is used in riot control, crowd control, and personal self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears.Although considered a less lethal agent,...
use. They are assigned to one of 19 Smithsonian museums or research sites in New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
, VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue...
, or the District of Columbia. There is also a specialized k-9 unit with bomb detection dogs that patrol the museum grounds.
- Smithsonian Museum Physical Security Specialists and Supervisory Physical Security Specialists assist in overseeing the daily protection operations at individual sites.
- US National Zoological Park Police Officers, although under the authority of the Smithsonian Institution, do not report to the Office of Protection Services because they are specifically assigned to the National Zoo
The Smithsonian National Zoological Park, commonly known as the National Zoo, is a zoo located in Washington, D.C. It is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums...
. The National Zoo is owned and managed by the Smithsonian in the District of Columbia and is staffed 24 hours a day by full-time US National Zoological Park Police Officers. All NZPP officers are trained at the Federal Law Enforcement Training CenterThe Federal Law Enforcement Training Center serves as an interagency law enforcement training organization for 82 United States Government Federal Law Enforcement agencies.-Location:...
(FLETC). NZPP Officers are Federal law enforcement officers and carry full law enforcement jurisdiction within the District of Columbia and work closely with the Metropolitan Police Department and the US Park Police.
Law Enforcement Authority
According to the U.S Code (
Title 40Title 40 of the United States Code outlines the role of Public Buildings, Properties, and Public Works in the United States Code.* Subtitle I—Federal Property and Administrative Services* Subtitle II—Public Buildings and Works...
, Chapter 63, §6306), Smithsonian Guards designated as
special policeSpecial police and Special Police Force are terms which have different meanings in different countries, as described below.-Canada:Special Police is not a term used in Canada...
"may, within the specified buildings and grounds, enforce,and make arrests for violations of, sections 6302 and 6303 of this title, any regulation prescribed under section 6304 of this title, federal or state law, or any regulation prescribed under
federalFederal law is the body of law created by the federal government of a country. A federal government is formed when a group of political units, such as states or provinces join together in a federation, surrendering their individual sovereignty and many powers to the central government while...
or
state lawIn the United States, state law is the law of each separate U.S. state, as passed by the state legislature . It exists in parallel, and sometimes in conflict with, United States federal law...
; and (2) may enforce concurrently with the
United States Park PoliceThe United States Park Police is the oldest uniformed federal law enforcement agency 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 Francisco,...
the laws and regulations applicable to the
National Capital ParksNational Mall and Memorial Parks is an administrative unit of the National Park Service encompassing many national memorials and other areas in Washington, D.C...
, and may make arrests for violations of sections 6302 and 6303 of this title, within the several areas located within the exterior boundaries of the face of the curb lines of the squares within which the specified buildings and grounds are located."
As a uniformed force in accordance with subsection C, employees designated as Special Police for Smithsonian "may be provided, without charge, with
uniformA uniform is a set of standard clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are worn by armed forces and paramilitary organisations such as police, emergency services, security guards, in some workplaces and schools and by inmates...
s and other equipment as may be necessary for the proper performance of their duties, including "Smithsonian Special Police" badges ,
revolverA revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. As the user cocks the hammer, the cylinder revolves to align the next chamber and round with the hammer and barrel, which gives this type of firearm its name...
s, and
ammunitionAmmunition, often informally referred to as ammo, is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
."
Law Enforcement Union Membership
Smithsonian Museum officers in NY are members of the Fraternal Order Of Police (FOP) Lodge #38 while officers in DC belong to FOP Lodge #DC1. The
Fraternal Order of PoliceThe Fraternal Order of Police is an organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. It claims a membership of over 325,000 members organized in 2100 local chapters , organized into local lodges, state lodges, and the national Grand Lodge...
is a national labor union of law enforcement officers and agents.
See also
External links