Washington DC Police History

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has been serving the District of Columbia for more than 160 years. In 1802, when the original city charter was approved, police authority was centralized and power was granted to the city itself to establish patrols, impose fines, and establish inspection and licensing procedures. Until the creation of the Metropolitan Police Department in 1861, the city had only an auxiliary watch with one captain and 15 policemen.

In 1861, President Abraham Lincoln took personal interest in founding a regular police department for the District of Columbia. It was a time of constant danger in the Nation’s Capital. With the beginning of the Civil War, an army was billeted in the city, government employees were increased by ten-fold, and hordes of unsavory elements descended upon the District’s few square miles. President Lincoln personally dispatched an emissary from the newly created Board of Metropolitan Police Commissioners to New York City to become familiar with that system, which itself was based on the world-acclaimed Metropolitan London Police Department.

The ideas and knowledge gained from this study led to the creation of the Metropolitan Police Department on August 6, 1861. In September of that year, attorney William B. Webb was appointed the first Superintendent of the Police, with an authorized force of 10 sergeants and a number of patrolmen as needed, but not to exceed 150.

Over the years, the MPD has grown in size, diversity and expertise. As the police force for the Nation’s Capital, it has protected the city, its citizens and visitors through many historic events and social changes. The DC Metropolitan Police Department has a rich and unique history and the DC Police Memorial and Museum is dedicated to telling its story and protecting its artifacts and heritage.