The 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.