The United States Capitol Police (USCP) is a full-service federal law enforcement agency. The mission of the USCP is to protect the United States Congress (legislative branch of the US government) and the Capitol building and grounds, a 47 square block radius in Washington, DC. The USCP also have federal police authority throughout the United States and territories to perform their law enforcement duties.
Congress created the USCP in 1828 after John Quincy Adams son was assaulted in the capital rotunda. In 2003, the Library of Congress Police Agency merged into the USCP.
The USCP today has over 2000 sworn and civilian employees of the agency. The USCP is an accredited federal law enforcement agency with the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA).
Training
- One-week orientation at the USCP training facility in Cheltenham, MD.
- 12-weeks basic police training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) in Glynco, Georgia.
- 13-weeks at the Capitol Police Training Academy
- Emergency Response Team (CERT)
- K-9 Patrol Teams
- Motorcycle Patrol
- Bicycle Patrol
- Hazardous Devices and Hazardous Materials Team
- Dignitary Protection Division Team
Salary and Benefits
USCP Police Officer LP-0083
Police Private $58,762 – $60, 946 per year
Police Private First Class $62,789 – $68,997 per year
USCP officers are eligible to join the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) District of Columbia Lodge 1
About the Author
Mark Bond has worked in law enforcement and has been a firearms instructor for more than 29 years. His law enforcement experience includes the military, local, state and federal levels as a police officer and criminal investigator. Mark obtained a BS and MS in criminal justice, and M.Ed in educational leadership with Summa Cum Laude honors. As a lifelong learner, he is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in education (EdD) with a concentration in college teaching and learning. Mark is currently an assistant professor of criminal justice at a university and adjunct professor of administration of justice studies at a community college.
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