Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia

Not to be confused with United States Capitol Police.

Metropolitan Police Department
Abbreviation	MPD
Patch of the Metropolitan Police Department
Motto	Justitia Omnibus
	"Justice For All"
Agency overview
Formed	1861
Legal personality	Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Legal jurisdiction	District of Columbia
General nature	Law enforcement Civilian agency
Operational structure
Headquarters	Judiciary Square Henry J. Daly Building 300 Indiana Avenue NW
Officers	4050
Civilians	600
Agency executive	Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of Police
Website
mpdc.dc.gov

A parked MPDC cruiser.

Bo, the Obama family dog, sits in a DC police cruiser.

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

History

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

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

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. Ramsey, who had served under former Washington, D.C., Mayor Anthony A. Williams and is now the commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department.

Ranks

There are eleven ranks in the Metropolitan Police Department:

Title	Insignia
Chief of Police
Executive Assistant Chief
Assistant Chief
Commander
Inspector
Captain
Lieutenant
Sergeant
Master Patrol Officer
Patrol Officer First Class
Patrol Officer / Detective

Police districts

• First District [1]
• Second District [2]
• Third District [3]
• Fourth District [4]
• Fifth District [5]
• Sixth District [6]
• Seventh District [7]

Demographics

The department maintains 4,050 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.^[3] In 1968, African Americans constituted 25% of the department's force and in 1970 constituted 35% of the department's force^[4] 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%.^[5]

Equipment

Vehicle	Country of Manufacture	Type	Notes	Picture
Ford Crown Victoria	United States	Cruiser
Chevrolet Impala	United States	Cruiser
Ford Taurus	United States	Cruiser
Ford E-350	United States	Van
Ford F-550	United States	Truck	Used by the MPD Special Operations Division

In media

Author James Patterson features MPD 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 MPD homicide detective (portrayed by Wesley Snipes) investigates a murder at The White House.

The TV series NCIS has several references to Metropolitan PD, 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 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, Arnold Schwarzenegger knocks a MPD Mounted Unit to the ground and confiscates his horse for the pursuit of a terrorist.

In the Film The Invasion 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.^[6]

The cause of deaths are as follows:

Cause of death	Number of deaths
Accidental	2
Aircraft accident	2
Animal related	1
Automobile accident	9
Bicycle accident	1
Drowned	3
Duty-related illness	2
Fall	3
Gunfire	61
Gunfire (Accidental)	7
Heart attack	4
Motorcycle accident	12
Stabbed	1
Struck by streetcar	1
Struck by vehicle	4
Vehicle pursuit	2
Vehicular assault	6

See also

	Washington, D.C. portal
	Law enforcement/Law enforcement topics portal

• List of law enforcement agencies in the District of Columbia
• Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia Chiefs

References

1. ^ ^{a b} About the MPDC
2. ^ ^{a b} Brief History of the MPDC
3. ^ POLICE: THE THIN BLUE LINE
4. ^ What the Police Can--And Cannot--Do About Crime
5. ^ Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 2000: Data for Individual State and Local Agencies with 100 or More Officers
6. ^ Metropolitan Police Department, District of Columbia Fallen Officers

External links

• MPDC website
• MPDC Organizational Chart
• MPDC Ranks
• MPDC Districts & PSAs
• MPDC Specialized Units