United States Capitol Police
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- The Capitol Police is not the same as the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia.
| United States Capitol Police |
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| Established | 1828 |
| Strength | 1,600 |
| Jurisdiction | United States Capitol grounds |
| Specialty Units | Hazardous Materials Response Containment and Emergency Response Team Dignitary Protection K-9 Team |
| Chief | Phillip D. Morse |
The United States Capitol Police (USCP) is a police force charged with protecting the United States Congress within the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its territories.
Created by Congress in 1828 following the assault on a son of John Quincy Adams in the Capitol Rotunda, the original duty of the United States Capitol Police was to provide security for the United States Capitol Building. Its mission has expanded to provide the Congressional community and its visitors with a variety of police services. These services are provided through the use of a variety of specialty support units, a network of foot and vehicular patrols, fixed posts, a full time CERT unit, K-9, a Patrol/Mobile Response Division and a full time Hazardous Devices and Hazardous Materials Sections. The agency has 1,700 members as of 2007.
Today's United States Capitol Police officer has the primary responsibility for protecting life and property; preventing, detecting, and investigating criminal acts; and enforcing traffic regulations throughout a large complex of congressional buildings, parks, and thoroughfares. The USCP has exclusive jurisdiction within the United States Capitol Grounds and has concurrent jurisdiction with other police agencies in an area of approximately 200 blocks around the complex. Additionally, they are charged with the protection of Members of Congress, Officers of Congress, and their families throughout the entire United States, its territories and possessions, and the District of Columbia.
Three USCP officers have been killed in the line of duty. A 1984 training accident killed Sergeant Christopher Eney, while a mentally disturbed gunman named Russell Eugene Weston Jr. killed Officer Jacob Chestnut and Detective John Gibson in a shootout on July 24, 1998. Chestnut and Gibson were laid in honor in the Rotunda before burial in Arlington National Cemetery. (Chestnut was the first African American ever to lie in honor in the Rotunda.)
The U.S. Capitol Police is one of many agencies that sends its recruits to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (F.L.E.T.C.), located in Glyco, GA for initial training. On occasion, recruits are sent to the FLETC location in Artesia, NM, but this is very rare. Following 8 weeks at FLETC, recruits return to FLETC's location in Cheltenham MD for an additional 12 weeks of training. Following the recruits academy training, they are sworn in as law enforcement officers and assigned to 1 of 3 divisions to begin their careers. Initial salary at the start of training is $49k, with an increase to $51k after graduation. After 30 months of service, officers reach the rank of PFC, with an annual salary of $57k.
