Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia

=HOME= The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, also known as the DC Police, MPD, and MPDC is the municipal police force for Washington, D.C. It is one of the ten largest police forces within the United States.



=ABOUT= One of the ten largest local police agencies in the United States, the MPDC is the primary law enforcement agency for the District of Columbia. Founded in 1861, the MPDC of today is on the forefront of technological crime fighting advances, from highly developed advances in evidence analysis to state-of the-art-information technology. These modern techniques are combined with a contemporary community policing philosophy, referred to as Customized Community Policing. Community policing bonds the police and residents in a working partnership designed to organize and mobilize residents, merchants and professionals to improve the quality of life for all who live, work, and visit the Nation's Capital.

For more information about the Metropolitan Police Department, please select one of the links below:


 * Mission
 * Chief's Letter
 * Chief's Biography
 * History
 * Organizational Chart
 * Police Headquarters
 * Specialized Units

History
Upon the establishment of the District of Columbia, the states of Maryland and Virginia appointed constables to patrol the city. In 1802, the city was given police primacy and appointed a Captain of the Watch and 15 Watchmen. 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.

Leadership and organization
The current Chief of Police is Cathy L. Lanier, who began her career as a MPDC 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 Philadelphia Police commissioner.

MPD’s organizational structure consists of the Executive Office of the Chief of Police and six bureaus:
 * Assistant Chief, Executive Officer
 * Patrol Services and School Security Bureau
 * Homeland Security Bureau
 * Special Operations Division
 * Domestic Security Office
 * Traffic Safety Branch
 * Tactical Patrol Branch
 * Special Events Branch
 * Intelligence Fusion Division
 * Joint Operations Command Center (JOCC)
 * Command Information Center (CIC)
 * Joint Terrorism Task Force
 * DC Fusion Center
 * Professional Development Bureau
 * Corporate Support Bureau
 * Investigative Services Bureau
 * Internal Affairs Bureau


 * Operational Services Group
 * Operational Support Command
 * Superintendent of Detective Services
 * District Investigations Branch
 * Special Investigations Branch
 * Violent Crimes Branch
 * Victim Services Branch
 * Forensic Science Division
 * Crime Scene Investigations Branch
 * Firearms and Tool Mark Examination Section (FES) (MPDC)
 * DNA/Trace Analysis Section
 * Synchronized Operations Command Center
 * Mobile Force and Redeployment Unit
 * Command Information Center
 * Teletype Unit
 * Intelligence Operations Command Center
 * Joint Operations Command Center (JOCC)
 * Executive Protection Unit

Organizational Charts


 * Metropolitan Police Department (general)*
 * Executive Office of the Chief of Police*
 * Patrol Services and School Security Bureau*
 * Homeland Security Bureau*
 * Professional Development*
 * Corporate Support Bureau*
 * Investigative Services Bureau*
 * Internal Affairs Bureau*

Ranks of the MPDC
There are eleven ranks in the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia:

Demographics
The department maintains 3,800 sworn officers and 600 civilian support staff, making it one of the ten largest police forces within the United States. 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 department is also 28% White, 5% Hispanic, and 1% Asian. Males account for 76% of the force, while females make up 24%.

Police Districts & PSAs
See main article MPDC Police Districts & PSAs

Every section of the District falls within one of seven Police Service Areas (PSA), and every PSA has a team of police officers and officials assigned to it.
 * First District
 * Second District
 * Third District
 * Fourth District
 * Fifth District
 * Sixth District
 * Seventh District

Specialized Units|31417|,,.asp
The Metropolitan Police Department operates a number of units that assist the general public and other law enforcement agencies. The following list provides you with links to those units, hours of operation, and useful information.


 * Arrest and Criminal History Section (Police Clearances)
 * Asian Liaison Unit
 * Civil Rights and Force Investigations Branch
 * Communications, Office of
 * Corporate Support Bureau
 * Deaf and Hard of Hearing Liaison Unit
 * Diversity and Equal Employment Oportunity Compliance Branch
 * Domestic Violence Unit
 * Evidence Control Branch
 * Family Liaison Specialist Unit
 * Financial Crimes and Fraud Unit
 * Firearms and Tool Mark Examination Section
 * Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit (GLLU)
 * Grants Unit
 * Harbor Patrol
 * Human Resource Management
 * Internal Affairs Bureau
 * Latino Liaison Unit
 * La Unidad de Enlace Latino
 * Major Case Victims Unit
 * Metropolitan Police Academy, Maurice T. Turner Jr.
 * Mobile Force
 * Patrol Services and School Security Bureau
 * Police Standards and Training (POST) Board
 * Policy Development Division
 * Research and Analysis Division
 * Sex Assault Unit
 * Special Liaison Units
 * Testing and Assessment Division
 * Victim Specialists Unit
 * Youth Investigations Branch

Operations


The department's duties include the provision of police services to the city and its inhabitants and to supplement the various federal security police forces in the city, with whom the department exercises concurrent jurisdiction. 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.

Planning
=CONTACTS=

Affiliate Directory
=INFORMATION=

Info Links
=EVENTS=