Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia

Patch of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia.pngThe Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPDC), generally abbreviated as MPD and commonly referred to as the D.C. Police, is the municipal police force of Washington, D.C. Formed in 1861, it is one of the ten largest police forces within the United States.[1]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.