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United States Capitol Police

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United States Capitol Police
Patch of the United States Capitol Police
Patch of the United States Capitol Police
Badge of the United States Capitol Police
Badge of the United States Capitol Police
Flag of the United States Capitol Police
Flag of the United States Capitol Police
Common nameU.S. Capitol Police
AbbreviationUSCP
Motto"A Tradition of Service and Protection"
Agency overview
FormedMay 2, 1828; 196 years ago (1828-05-02)[1]
Jurisdictional structure
Federal agency
(Operations jurisdiction)		United States
Operations jurisdictionUnited States
Legal jurisdictionCongressional buildings, parks, and thoroughfares. Members of Congress, Officers of Congress, and their families throughout the United States, its territories and possessions.
Governing bodyCapitol Police Board
Constituting instrument
General nature
Operational structure
Headquarters119 D Street, NE
Washington, D.C., U.S. 20510
Officers2,200+
Agency executive
Units
10
  • Sworn Specialties:
  • Dignitary Protection
  • Threat Assessment
  • Intelligence Investigations
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Hazardous Devices (Bomb Squad)
  • Containment and Emergency Response Team
  • Patrol & K-9
  • Civilian Specialties:
  • Hazardous Materials Response Team
  • Intelligence Analysis
  • Emergency Management
Website
www.uscp.gov Edit this at Wikidata

The United States Capitol Police (USCP) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States charged with protecting the United States Congress within the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its territories. It answers to Congress, not the President of the United States, and is the only full-service federal law enforcement agency responsible to the legislative branch of the Federal Government of the United States.

Chevrolet Impala, 2015
Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, 2012

The United States Capitol Police has the primary responsibility for protecting life and property; preventing, detecting, and investigating criminal acts; and enforcing traffic regulations throughout a large complex of congressional buildings, parks, and thoroughfares. The Capitol Police has exclusive jurisdiction within all buildings and grounds of the United States Capitol complex as well as the Library of Congress. It also has concurrent jurisdiction with other law enforcement agencies, including the United States Park Police and the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, in an area of approximately 200 blocks around the complex. Officers also have jurisdiction throughout the District of Columbia to take enforcement action when they observe or are made aware of crimes of violence while on official duties. Additionally, they are charged with the protection of members of Congress, officers of Congress, and their families throughout the entire United States, its territories and possessions, and the District of Columbia. While performing protective functions, the Capitol Police have jurisdiction throughout the entire United States.[2]

Training

The U.S. Capitol Police is one of many agencies that sends its recruits to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), located in Glynco, Georgia, for initial training. Rarely, recruits are sent to the FLETC location in Artesia, NM. Following 12 weeks at FLETC, recruits return to FLETC's location in Cheltenham, Maryland, for an additional 13 weeks of training. After the recruits' academy training, graduates are sworn in as law enforcement officers and assigned to one of four divisions to begin their careers. Once assigned, officers are assigned a Field Training Officer (FTO) for a definite period to provide additional on-the-job training. FTO's provide weekly updates on the subjects that have been learned and issue tests to the new officers. Officers are also subject to a one-year probationary period. Initial salary at the start of training is $55,653.00, with an increase to $57,604.00 after graduation. After 30 months of satisfactory performance and promotion to private first class (PFC), salary is increased to $64,590.00.[3]

History

The history of the United States Capitol Police dates back to 1801 when Congress moved from the city of Philadelphia to the newly constructed Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. At the time, Congress appointed one watchman to protect the building and Congressional property.

The police were formally created by Congress in 1828 following the assault on a son of John Quincy Adams in the Capitol rotunda. The United States Capitol Police had as its original duty the provision of security for the United States Capitol.[4]

Its mission has expanded to provide the Congressional community and its visitors with a variety of security services. These services are provided through the use of a variety of specialty support units, a network of foot and vehicular patrols, fixed posts, a full-time Containment and Emergency Response Team (CERT), K-9, a Patrol/Mobile Response Division and a full-time Hazardous Devices and Hazardous Materials Sections.[5][6]

The Library of Congress Police were merged into the force in 2009.[7][8] The agency has at least 1,800 sworn personnel.

The current chief of the United States Capitol Police is Steven Sund.[9]

2021 storming of the Capitol

On January 6, 2021, supporters of Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol after Trump incited them in a speech where he made false claims of fraud in the 2020 election which he lost to Joe Biden. Trump encouraged his supporters to "fight like hell" and "take back our country", and asked his supporters to march to the U.S. Capitol.[10][11] Subsequently a pro-Trump mob marched on Congress and eventually stormed the building.[12] Congress was in session at the time, conducting the Electoral College vote count and debating the results of the vote.

The rioters easily breeched barricades erected by Capitol Police around the Capitol. Ultimately, one woman was fatally shot, and three others died in medical emergencies.[13] Federal authorities said that they were not prepared for the unrest; however, far-right pro-Trump supporters had organized the unrest on pro-Trump far-right social media websites, including Gab and Parler, in advance.[14][15][16] Capitol Police's lax response to the rioting was harshly criticized, as was the contrast between the aggressive response of federal law enforcement to the George Floyd protests in the summer of 2020.[17][13][18][19][20]

Rank structure and insignia

Title Insignia
Chief of Police
Assistant Chief of Police/ Chief of Operations
Deputy Chief
Inspector
Captain
Lieutenant
Sergeant
Detective/MPO
Technician
Private First Class
Private with Training
Private

See also

References

  1. ^ "Our History - United States Capitol Police". Uscp.gov. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
  2. ^ "2 U.S. Code § 1966 - Protection of Members of Congress, officers of Congress, and members of their families". law.cornell.edu.
  3. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". uscapitolpolice.gov. 25 July 2016.
  4. ^ "United States Capitol Police". USAJOBS. Archived from the original on 2007-08-07. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  5. ^ "United States Capitol Police Containment & Emergency Response Team". Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  6. ^ "Wear the Badge, Feel the Honor". United States Capitol Police. Retrieved 2007-08-19.
  7. ^ Public Law 108-7 Sec. 1015 (117 Stat. 363) enacted by U.S. Congress on February 20, 2003; all sections under Title 2 (§ 167 and § 167h) of the U.S. Code that pertains to the Library of Congress Police was transferred to the U.S. Capitol Police.
  8. ^ "Our History". uscp.org. United States Capitol Police. Retrieved August 9, 2018. [T]he historic merger with the Library of Congress Police in 2009
  9. ^ "Executive Team". United States Capitol Police. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  10. ^ McCarthy, Tom; Ho, Vivian; Greve, Joan E. (January 7, 2021). "Schumer calls pro-Trump mob 'domestic terrorists' as Senate resumes election certification – live". Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2021 – via www.theguardian.com.
  11. ^ "Before mob stormed US Capitol, Trump told them to 'fight like hell' –". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  12. ^ "Pro-Trump mob storms US Capitol as armed standoff takes place outside House chamber". CNN. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2021. {{cite web}}: Cite uses deprecated parameter |authors= (help)
  13. ^ a b Gurman, Aruna Viswanatha and Sadie (2021-01-07). "Capitol Police Weren't Prepared for Rioters, Authorities Say". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  14. ^ Frenkel, Sheera (January 6, 2021). "The storming of Capitol Hill was organized on social media". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 6, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  15. ^ CNN, Evan Perez, Katelyn Polantz, Phil Mattingly, Vivian Salama, Priscilla Alvarez and Betsy Klein. "'No one knew what we were supposed to be doing there.' Inside the law enforcement chaos at the Capitol". CNN. Retrieved 2021-01-07. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ McSwane, Logan Jaffe,Lydia DePillis,Isaac Arnsdorf,J David. "Capitol Rioters Planned for Weeks in Plain Sight. The Police Weren't Ready". ProPublica. Retrieved 2021-01-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ Hosenball, Joseph Tanfani, John Shiffman, Brad Heath, Mark (2021-01-07). "How security failures enabled Trump mob to storm U.S. Capitol". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-01-07.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ "U.S. police officials shocked by apparent police failure at Capitol". NBC News. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  19. ^ Dewan, Shaila; MacFarquhar, Neil; Eligon, John; Triebert, Christiaan; Willis, Haley; Cooper, Stella; Engelbrecht, Cora; Hill, Evan; Ray, Arielle (2021-01-07). "Capitol Breach Draws Sharp Condemnation of Law Enforcement". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-01-07.
  20. ^ Emma, Caitlin. "Capitol Police firings imminent after 'attempted coup,' top appropriator warns". POLITICO. Retrieved 2021-01-07.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_States_Capitol_Police&oldid=998877807"