Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia

The Metropolitan Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency for the District of Columbia, in the United States. With approximately 3,800 officers and 600 civilian staff, it is the sixth-largest municipal police department in the U.S. The department serves an area of 68 square miles and a population of over 700,000 people. The Metropolitan Police replaced previous law enforcement organizations.

About Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia in brief

Summary Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia The Metropolitan Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency for the District of Columbia, in the United States. With approximately 3,800 officers and 600 civilian staff, it is the sixth-largest municipal police department in the U.S. The department serves an area of 68 square miles and a population of over 700,000 people. The MPD has a broad array of specialized services, including the Emergency Response Team, K9, harbor patrol, air support, explosive ordnance division, homeland security, criminal intelligence, narcotics, and the gun recovery unit. It shares its jurisdiction with the Transit Police, responsible for policing the MetroRail system and buses, the United US Park Police which provides law enforcement for the National Mall and all other National Park Service properties, and many other federal agencies. However, the MPD ultimately remains the primary agency in the city and has the authority to investigate all crimes in theCity regardless of the location it took place. The Metropolitan Police replaced previous law enforcement organizations. Before the formation of the District in 1801, county constables had jurisdiction over the area, along with the comparatively developed police force for the City of Alexandria. The first police superintendent was named in 1803. The city divided into four policing wards, each under a constable, in 1804. The Board of Commissioners of the Metropolitan Police was established on August 6, 1861 by Act of Congress, signed into law by President Lincoln. The board’s first chief was William Benning Webb who was commissioned as a Major in the army, to serve as the first Chief of Police, the formal title being “Major and Superintendent”.

The Board initially divided the District into 10 precincts, while the Second Precinct included the Second county territory of Anacostia, north of Washington City, and north of the city of D.C. It was established in 1842 because President John Tyler had been burned in effigy, purportedly because he had had rocks thrown at him on the White House grounds. The formation of Metropolitan Police dissolved all previous authorities tasked with defending the federal government within the District but commanded directly by the President, and commanded by the military force, not by the local government. The Police Board unanimously chose one of its members, William Webb, to be its first Chief. The police force was modeled on the New York City Police Department and its structure, itself modeled on that of the London Metropolitan Police Service. It is one of the oldest police departments in theUnited States. The headquarters is at the Henry J Daly Building, located on Indiana Avenue in Judiciary Square across the street from the District. of Columbia Court of Appeals and the Superior Court of theDistrict of Columbia. It also operates the Command Information Center which monitors hundreds of cameras across the city, license plate readers, Shotspotter and other intelligence and surveillance devices. It has a unique role in that it serves as a local police department, with county, state and Federal responsibilities, and is under a municipal government but operates under Federal authority. The president may direct the Mayor to provide such services for up to 48 hours.