Defense Protective Service
| United States Pentagon Police | |
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| Common name | Pentagon Police or Pentagon P.D. |
| Abbreviation | USPPD or PPD |
Patch of the United States Pentagon Police
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Seal of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency
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Badge of the United States Pentagon Police
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| Motto | Semper Vigilans (English: "Always watching") |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | October 1, 1987 (as the Defense Protective Service) May 3, 2002 (as the U.S. Pentagon Police) |
| Preceding agency | Defense Protective Service |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| General nature |
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| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | The Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Elected officers responsible |
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| Agency executives |
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| Parent agency | Pentagon Force Protection Agency |
| Website | |
| www.pfpa.mil | |
The United States Pentagon Police (USPPD) is a federal police force of the U.S. Department of Defense and is a subsidiary organization of the Pentagon Force Protection Agency.
The USPPD's role is to provide law enforcement services and protective security services for the U.S. Department of Defense's headquarters building, The Pentagon, as due to the provisions of the Posse Comitatus Act, the U.S. military proper is prohibited from enforcing civilian law.
Prior to 1971, the General Service Administration’s (GSA) United States Special Policeman (USSP) conducted law enforcement, safety and security functions at the Pentagon. The protection programs were primarily a “guard-watchman” operation, where USSP were primarily concerned with the protection of property. However, in response to a growing number of disruptive incidents throughout the country affecting federal facilities under GSA control, attention to the security program had to be re-examined. As a result of mass demonstrations, bombings and bomb threats within the country and region, the Federal Protective Service (FPS) was established and the comprehensive protection of Pentagon personnel rather than the previous policy of concentration on property were developed.
On October 1, 1987, the GSA Administrator delegated authority for protecting the Pentagon Reservation to the Department of Defense (DoD). In order to carry out the new mission, DoD established the Defense Protective Service (DPS) as a new organization within the Washington Headquarters Service (WHS).
Formerly known as the Defense Protective Service (DPS) until 2002, the U.S. Pentagon Police has exclusive jurisdiction within the Pentagon Reservation and has concurrent jurisdiction with other law enforcement agencies (federal, state, and local) in an area of approximately 275 acres (1.11 km2) around the complex. U.S. Pentagon Police officers also have jurisdiction at Department of Defense leased property throughout the National Capital Region, and at the US Military Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. Additionally, they are charged with the protection of various Department of Defense executive officers. Through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Arlington County, U.S. Pentagon Police also possess conditional police authority throughout Arlington County.
On March 4, 2010, a gunman, identified as John Patrick Bedell, who espoused anti-government views, shot and wounded two officers at a security checkpoint in the Pentagon station. The officers returned fire, striking him in the head. He died a few hours later, on the next day, March 5, 2010.
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Wikipedia