Smithsonian Police
Encyclopedia
The Smithsonian Institution Office of Protection Services is the guard force of the Smithsonian Institution
.
It is a federal guard force consisting of 850 officers with limited special police
authority tasked with protecting visitors, staff, property, and grounds of the federally-owned and managed
Smithsonian Institution museum
s and research centers in Washington, D.C.
, New York City
, at the 2,800 acre Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
in Maryland
as well as oversight of the security operations in the Smithsonian Facility in Panama.
The office of Protection Services was created in 1979. (The Smithsonian Institution itself was created by Congress
in 1846.)
According to the U.S Code (Title 40
, Chapter 63, §6306), Smithsonian guards designated as special police
As a uniformed force in accordance with subsection C, employees designated as Special Police for Smithsonian "may be provided, without charge, with uniform
s and other equipment as may be necessary for the proper performance of their duties, including "Smithsonian Special Police" badges , revolver
s, and ammunition
."
The National Zoological Park Police has a cooperative agreement with the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C.
Lodge #38 while officers in the District of Columbia belong to the American Federation of Government Employees
(AFGE) Local 2463. The Fraternal Order of Police is a national labor union of law enforcement officers and agents. also being that they do have stautory powers of arrest they are covered under the LEOSA
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
.
It is a federal guard force consisting of 850 officers with limited special police
Special police
Special Police does not have a consistent international meaning. In many cases it will describe a police force or a unit within a police force whose duties and responsibilities are significantly different from other forces in the same country or significantly different from other police in the same...
authority tasked with protecting visitors, staff, property, and grounds of the federally-owned and managed
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
Smithsonian Institution museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
s and research centers in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, at the 2,800 acre Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center is a environmental research and educational facility operated by the Smithsonian Institution. It is located on the Rhode and West Rivers near Edgewater in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, near the western shore of Chesapeake Bay...
in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
as well as oversight of the security operations in the Smithsonian Facility in Panama.
The office of Protection Services was created in 1979. (The Smithsonian Institution itself was created by Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in 1846.)
Positions
There are several position levels within the Office of Protection Services:- Smithsonian Museum protection officers are security officers that have been designated as "special police" under the US CodeUnited States CodeThe Code of Laws of the United States of America is a compilation and codification of the general and permanent federal laws of the United States...
(Title 40Title 40 of the United States CodeTitle 40 of the United States Code outlines the role of Public Buildings, Properties, and Public Works in the United States Code.* Subtitle I—Federal Property and Administrative Services* Subtitle II—Public Buildings and Works...
, Chapter 63, §6306) and have limited police powers. They undergo forty hours of training (that is limited and does not meet the standards of established police academies) in firearmFirearmA firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
use, arrestArrestAn arrest is the act of depriving a person of his or her liberty usually in relation to the purported investigation and prevention of crime and presenting into the criminal justice system or harm to oneself or others...
, handcuffHandcuffsHandcuffs are restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists close together. They comprise two parts, linked together by a chain, a hinge, or rigid bar. Each half has a rotating arm which engages with a ratchet that prevents it from being opened once closed around a person's wrist...
procedures, and pepper sprayPepper sprayPepper spray, also known as OC spray , OC gas, and capsicum spray, is a lachrymatory agent that is used in riot control, crowd control and personal self-defense, including defense against dogs and bears...
use. They are assigned to one of nineteen Smithsonian museums or research sites in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Maryland, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, or the District of Columbia. There is also a specialized K-9 unit with bomb-detection dogs that patrol museum grounds. Officers utilize patrol vehicles for most sites in D.C as well as ATV and Boats for the facility in Maryland. - Smithsonian Museum physical security specialists and Supervisory physical security specialists assist in overseeing the protection operations at individual sites.
- US National Zoological Park Police officers, although under the authority and oversight of the Smithsonian Institution Office of Protection Services, do not report to the Office of Protection Services because they are specifically assigned to the National ZooSmithsonian National Zoological ParkThe Smithsonian National Zoological Park, commonly known as the National Zoo, is one of the oldest zoos in the United States, and as part of the Smithsonian Institution, does not charge admission. Founded in 1889, its mission is to provide leadership in animal care, science, education,...
. The National zoological park police is one of the oldest police forces in the District of Columbia. According to the official National Zoo Website, the Zoological Police was one of the original five police agencies in D,C created in 1889. The 163 acre (0.65963818 km²) National Zoo is a Smithsonian facility in the District of Columbia and is staffed 24 hours a day by full-time US National Zoological Park police officers. The National Zoo also maintains a 3200 acre Research facility (Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute; SCBI) in Front Royal, Virginia; which is staffed by members of the National Zoological Park Police. According to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) website ,all NZPP officers are trained at the Federal Law Enforcement Training CenterFederal Law Enforcement Training CenterThe Federal Law Enforcement Training Center serves as an interagency law enforcement training organization for 90 United States government federal law enforcement agencies.-Location:...
(FLETC) NZPP officers are Federal law enforcement officers and carry full law enforcement jurisdiction within the District of Columbia and Virginia that work closely with the Metropolitan Police Department and the US Park Police, as well as other federal law enforcement agencies to include Virginia Law Enforcement Authorities.
Law enforcement authority
Title 40 of the United States Code
Title 40 of the United States Code outlines the role of Public Buildings, Properties, and Public Works in the United States Code.* Subtitle I—Federal Property and Administrative Services* Subtitle II—Public Buildings and Works...
, Chapter 63, §6306), Smithsonian guards designated as special police
Special police
Special Police does not have a consistent international meaning. In many cases it will describe a police force or a unit within a police force whose duties and responsibilities are significantly different from other forces in the same country or significantly different from other police in the same...
- may, within the specified buildings and grounds, enforce, and make arrests for violations of, sections 6302 and 6303 of this title, any regulation :prescribed under section 6304 of this title, federal or state law, or any regulation prescribed under federalFederal lawFederal law is the body of law created by the federal government of a country. A federal government is formed when a group of political units, such as states or provinces join together in a federation, surrendering their individual sovereignty and many powers to the central government while...
or state lawState lawIn the United States, state law is the law of each separate U.S. state, as passed by the state legislature and adjudicated by state courts. It exists in parallel, and sometimes in conflict with, United States federal law. These disputes are often resolved by the federal courts.-See also:*List of U.S...
; and (2) :may enforce concurrently with the United States Park PoliceUnited States Park PoliceThe United States Park Police is one of the oldest uniformed federal law enforcement agencies in the United States. It functions as a full service law enforcement agency with responsibilities and jurisdiction in those National Park Service areas primarily located in the Washington, D.C., San...
the laws and regulations applicable to the National :Capital ParksNational Mall and Memorial ParksNational Mall and Memorial Parks is an administrative unit of the National Park Service encompassing many national memorials and other areas in Washington, D.C...
, and may make arrests for violations of sections 6302 and 6303 of this title, within the several areas located within the exterior :boundaries of the face of the curb lines of the squares within which the specified buildings and grounds are located."
As a uniformed force in accordance with subsection C, employees designated as Special Police for Smithsonian "may be provided, without charge, with uniform
Uniform
A uniform is a set of standard clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, security guards, in some workplaces and schools and by inmates...
s and other equipment as may be necessary for the proper performance of their duties, including "Smithsonian Special Police" badges , revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
s, and ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
."
The National Zoological Park Police has a cooperative agreement with the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C.
Law Enforcement Union membership
Smithsonian Museum officers in New York state are members of the Fraternal Order of PoliceFraternal Order of Police
The Fraternal Order of Police is an organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. It claims a membership of over 325,000 members organized in 2100 local chapters , organized into local lodges, state lodges, and the national Grand Lodge...
Lodge #38 while officers in the District of Columbia belong to the American Federation of Government Employees
American Federation of Government Employees
The American Federation of Government Employees is an American labor union representing over 625,000 employees of the federal government, about 5,000 employees of the District of Columbia, and a few hundred private sector employees, mostly in and around federal facilities...
(AFGE) Local 2463. The Fraternal Order of Police is a national labor union of law enforcement officers and agents. also being that they do have stautory powers of arrest they are covered under the LEOSA