Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia
| Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia | |||||
| Common name | D.C. Police or MPD | ||||
| Abbreviation | MPDC | ||||
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| Patch of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia | |||||
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| Seal of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia | |||||
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| Flag of the District of Columbia | |||||
| Motto | Justitia Omnibus | ||||
| (English: Justice For All) | |||||
| Agency overview | |||||
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| Formed | August 6, 1861 | ||||
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency | ||||
| Jurisdictional structure | |||||
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| Map of Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia's jurisdiction. | |||||
| Legal jurisdiction | Washington D.C. | ||||
| General nature |
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| Operational structure | |||||
| Headquarters | Judiciary Square Henry J. Daly Building 300 Indiana Avenue NW |
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| Officers | 3,800 | ||||
| Civilians | 600 | ||||
| Agency executive | Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of Police | ||||
| Facilities | |||||
| Patrol cars | Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, Chevrolet Impala | ||||
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| Website | |||||
| www.MPDC.DC.gov | |||||
| Footnotes | |||||
| * Divisional agency: Sub division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |||||
The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPDC), commonly (internally and officially) referred to as MPD and by the public as D.C. Police, is the municipal police force of Washington, D.C. Formed in 1861, it is one of the ten largest police forces within the United States.[1]
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History[edit]
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]
Duties[edit]
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 Service, United States Park Police, Federal Bureau of Investigation Police, and United States Capitol Police 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.
Leadership[edit]
The Department is headed by a Chief of Police. As of 2007[update] the Chief of Police was Cathy L. Lanier, who began her career as a Metropolitan Police patrol officer, and became 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 became the commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department.
Structure[edit]
The MPDC as a whole is composed of the Executive Office of the Chief of Police, whose executive officer is the three-star Executive Assistant Chief, and seven bureaus (Patrol Services and School Security, Homeland Security, Professional Development, Investigative Services, Internal Affairs, Corporate Support and Strategic Services). The first five bureaus are each headed by a two-star Assistant Chief. Each bureau is organized into divisions or districts, each headed by a Commander.
Within the Patrol Services and School Security Bureau, each district is headed by a Commander. Inspectors are either division commanders or the assistant executive officers of a district, and are also in charge of district substations. Captains are district administrative officers who each oversee several Police Support Areas (PSAs) within a district. Lieutenants are either in charge of units or oversee an individual PSA. [3][4]
Ranks[edit]
There are eleven ranks in the Metropolitan Police Department:
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Opportunities[edit]
Police officers spend approximately three years learning their basic patrol duties and during that time period may also work as a member of the patrol district's vice unit or in a tactical unit[disambiguation needed] if selected. After three years with Metropolitan Police Department, police officers may apply and compete for many specialized jobs including crime scene search officer, officer assigned to the Canine Unit, Emergency Response Team or Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit (bomb squad), Harbor Patrol Unit, Helicopter Branch, Narcotics and Special Investigations, and Special Events. Moreover, police officers may compete in the centralized selection process for investigator that is the entry-level job in the detective career path. Officers interested in advancing to the rank of sergeant, must have four years at the time of the promotional examination that is given every other year.
Police districts[edit]
- First District[5]
- Second District[6]
- Third District[7]
- Fourth District[8]
- Fifth District[9]
- Sixth District[10]
- Seventh District[11]
Demographics[edit]
The department maintains approximately 3,800 sworn officers and 600 civilian support staff,[2] making it one of the ten largest police forces within the United States.[1] The department historically has been known for hiring a large number of African American police officers during times when African American police officers were uncommon in other police departments.[12] In 1968, African Americans constituted 25% of the department's force and in 1970 constituted 35% of the department's force[13] 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%.[14]
Fleet[edit]
| Vehicle | Country of Origin | Type | Notes | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ford Crown Victoria |  United States (Origin) Canada (Manufacture) |
Cruiser |  |
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| Chevrolet Impala | United States (Origin) Canada (Manufacture) |
Cruiser |  |
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| Ford Taurus | United States of America |
Cruiser |  |
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| Ford E-350 | United States of America |
Van |  |
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| Ford F-550 | United States of America |
Truck | Used by the MPD Special Operations Division |  |
| Dodge Ram | United States of America |
Truck | .jpg) |
Fallen officers[edit]
Since the establishment of the Metropolitan Police Department, 121 officers have died in the line of duty.[15] Gail Cobb, who died in September 1974, was the first female MPDC officer to be killed in the line of duty, and the first female American police officer to be killed in the line of duty.[16][17][18]
The cause of deaths are as follows:
| Cause of death | Number of deaths |
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| Accidental |
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| Aircraft accident |
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| Animal related |
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| Automobile accident |
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| Bicycle accident |
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| Drowned |
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| Duty-related illness |
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| Fall |
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| Gunfire |
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| Gunfire (Accidental) |
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| Heart attack |
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| Motorcycle accident |
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| Stabbed |
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| Struck by streetcar |
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| Struck by vehicle |
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| Vehicle pursuit |
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| Vehicular assault |
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In popular culture[edit]
- Author James Patterson features MPDC police detective Alex Cross in the Alex Cross series of books.
- The syndicated CBS television series The District dramatized the daily goings on of the police department.
- In the 1997 film Murder at 1600, an MPDC homicide detective (portrayed by Wesley Snipes) investigates a murder at The White House.
- The TV series NCIS has several references to the MPDC, with several interactions with local law enforcement and NCIS.
- The 2009 season of the TV series 24 on Fox starring Kiefer Sutherland has featured the MPDC in a few episodes which center around a terrorist plot against the White House. The MPDC are shown working with the FBI and other major government agencies.
- In the film True Lies, Arnold Schwarzenegger's character knocks a MPDC Mounted Unit to the ground and commandeers his horse for the pursuit of a terrorist.
- In the film The Invasion, Nicole Kidman's character is caught in an altercation with an MPDC officer who has been infected by an alien disease.
- In the TV series Lie To Me, deception expert Dr. Cal Lightman occasionally is hired by the city to work with MPDC important cases.
- In the 2009 film State of Play, two reporters investigate a series of murders in conjunction with MPDC. MPDC cruisers are shown in several scenes.
- The novels of George Pelecanos, which are largely set in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area, have included several major and minor characters who are active or former MPDC officers.
See also[edit]
- List of law enforcement agencies in the District of Columbia
- Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia Chiefs
- Mina Van Winkle, head of the woman's bureau circa 1910
References[edit]
- ^ a b Enter your Company or Top-Level Office (2008-07-17). "About the MPDC". Mpdc.dc.gov. Retrieved 2011-12-17. Text ",.asp " ignored (help)
- ^ a b Enter your Company or Top-Level Office (2006-12-27). "Brief History of the MPDC". Mpdc.dc.gov. Retrieved 2011-12-17. Text "31458" ignored (help); Text ".asp " ignored (help)
- ^ Structure
- ^ Organizational Chart
- ^ Enter your Company or Top-Level Office (2009-04-16). "Metropolitan Police Department: Welcome to the First District". Mpdc.dc.gov. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- ^ Enter your Company or Top-Level Office (2011-05-25). "Metropolitan Police Department: Welcome to the Second District". Mpdc.dc.gov. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- ^ Enter your Company or Top-Level Office (2011-05-25). "Metropolitan Police Department: Welcome to the Third District". Mpdc.dc.gov. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- ^ Enter your Company or Top-Level Office (2011-05-25). "Metropolitan Police Department: Welcome to the Fourth District". Mpdc.dc.gov. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- ^ Enter your Company or Top-Level Office (2011-05-25). "Metropolitan Police Department: Welcome to 5D". Mpdc.dc.gov. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- ^ Enter your Company or Top-Level Office (2011-05-26). "Metropolitan Police Department: 6D - Main Page". Mpdc.dc.gov. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- ^ Enter your Company or Top-Level Office (2011-05-25). "Metropolitan Police Department: 7D - Main Page". Mpdc.dc.gov. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- ^ Friday, July 19, 1968 (1968-07-19). "Police: The Thin Blue Line". Time.com. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- ^ Monday, July 13, 1970 (1970-07-13). "What the Police Can-And Cannot-Do About Crime". Time.com. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- ^ Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 2000: Data for Individual State and Local Agencies with 100 or More Officers[dead link]
- ^ "Metropolitan Police Department, District of Columbia Fallen Officers". Odmp.org. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- ^ Jackie McElroy. "Officer Gail Cobb - McJackie". Retrieved December 20, 2012.
- ^ "Police Officer Gail A. Cobb". The Officer Down Memorial Page. Retrieved 2009-08-04. "While walking her beat, she was tipped off that a suspected bank robber had just fled into a nearby garage. Officer Cobb located the man and instructed him to place his hands on the wall. As she radioed for assistance, the suspect spun around and fired a single shot at point-blank range. The bullet went through her wrist and her police radio and then penetrated her heart. She died at the scene."
- ^ "Slain Policewoman Honored in Capital By 2,000 Officers". New York Times. September 25, 1974. Retrieved 2009-08-04. "More than 2,000 police officers from throughout the country paid tribute here today to Police Officer Gail A. Cobb, believed to be the first policewoman in the United States to be killed in the line of duty."
