Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia

Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia
Patch of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia
Patch of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia
Seal of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia
Seal of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia
Badge of the Metropolitan Police Department
Badge of the Metropolitan Police Department
Flag of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia
Flag of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia
Common nameMetropolitan Police Department
AbbreviationMPD or MPDC
Motto"Excellence Is Transferable"[1][2][3]
Agency overview
FormedAugust 6, 1861; 163 years ago (1861-08-06)
Preceding agency
  • Washington City police (daytime) Auxiliary Guard (nighttime)
Employees4,100 (June 2022)
Annual budget$544 million (2021)[4]
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionUnited States
Map of Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia's jurisdiction
Population671,803 (2022)
Legal jurisdictionDistrict of Columbia
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersHenry J. Daly Building
300 Indiana Avenue NW
Sworn police officers3,501 police officers
Professional staffs609 civilian personnel
Command Staffs responsible
  • Pamela A. Smith, Chief of Police
  • Jeffery Carroll, Executive Assistant Chief of Police
  • Leeann Turner, Chief Operating Officer
  • Marvin Haiman, Chief of Staff
  • Darnel Robinson, Assistant Chief—Patrol Services North
  • Ramey Kyle, Assistant Chief—Patrol Services South
Agency executives
  • Carlos Heraud, Assistant Chief—Investigative Services Bureau
  • Leslie Parsons, Assistant Chief—Homeland Security Bureau
  • Tasha Bryant, Assistant Chief—Internal Affairs Bureau
  • Stuart Emerman, Assistant Chief—Technical and Analytical Services Bureau
  • Michael Coligan, Assistant Chief—Professional Development Bureau
  • Andre Wright, Assistant Chief—Youth and Family Engagement Bureau[5]
Divisions
9
  • Special Operations
  • Youth and Family Services
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Narcotics and Special Investigations
  • Intelligence
  • Internal Affairs
Bureaus
8
  • Patrol Services North
  • Patrol Services South
  • Homeland Security
  • Professional Development
  • Investigative Services
  • Internal Affairs
  • Technical and Analytical Services
  • Youth and Family Engagement
Facilities
Districts
7
Police boats2
Helicopters2
Dogs1 Bloodhound
31 German Shepherds
Website
mpdc.dc.gov Edit this at Wikidata

The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPDC), more commonly known locally as the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and, colloquially, DC Police, is the primary law enforcement agency for the District of Columbia, in the United States. With approximately 3,400 officers[6] and 600 civilian staff, it is the sixth-largest municipal police department in the United States. The department serves an area of 68 square miles (180 km2) and a population of over 700,000 people. Established on August 6, 1861, the MPD is one of the oldest police departments in the United States. The MPD 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 the District of Columbia. The department's mission is to "safeguard the District of Columbia and protect its residents and visitors with the highest regard for the sanctity of human life".[7] The MPD's regulations are compiled in title 5, chapter 1 of the District of Columbia Code.

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. The MPD also operates the Command Information Center (CIC) which monitors hundreds of cameras across the city, license plate readers, ShotSpotter, and many other intelligence and surveillance devices.[8]

The MPD 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. They are responsible for operating the district's sex offender registry, approving all applications for motorcades, protests, demonstrations and other public events, and maintaining the district's firearm registry.[9]

  1. ^ Special Order 17-022: MPD Email Requirements (effective date July 12, 2017).
  2. ^ Testimony of Peter Newsham, Acting Chief of Police, Performance Oversight Hearing on the Metropolitan Police Department, Committee on the Judiciary & Public Safety, Council of the District of Columbia (March 2, 2016).
  3. ^ https://mpdc.dc.gov/release/mpd-and-dc-police-foundation-hosting-%E2%80%9Cshop-cop%E2%80%9D-event-dc-walmart-0 [bare URL]
  4. ^ Sullivan, Carl; Baranauckas, Carla (June 26, 2020). "Here's how much money goes to police departments in largest cities across the U.S." USA Today. Archived from the original on July 14, 2020.
  5. ^ "MPD: Biographies". Metropolitan Police Department. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  6. ^ "Southeast DC shooting is the 200th homicide of the year". WUSA 9. November 23, 2021. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
  7. ^ "MPDC Mission Statement". mpdc.dc.gov. MPDC. Retrieved 2019-05-02.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference 2017Report was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "MPDC Services". MPDC. Retrieved 2014-02-10.