U.S. Capitol Police

In the early 1980s, the protective mandates and jurisdictions of the U.S. Capitol Police were substantially expanded to allow them to protect legislators away from their normal jurisdictions in response to the growing risk and threats faced by legislators and the growing institutionalization of Congress.

U.S. Code, Title 2, Chapter 29 defines the powers and duties of the U.S. Capitol Police. The U.S. Capitol Police has the authority to enforce the laws of the United States in any area of the United States and has the power to effect warrantless arrests for any offense against the United States committed in their presence, or for any felony cognizable under the laws of the United States upon probable cause, in the performance of their protective duties. Qualified members of the U.S. Capitol Police may also travel outside of the United States when performing security advisory and liaison functions for congressional travel.

The primary jurisdiction of the United States Capitol Police centers on the United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the adjacent congressional (House and Senate) offices, and the Library of Congress buildings. This primary jurisdiction is about 270 acres (0.42 mi; 1.1 km), with about 58 acres (0.091 mi; 0.23 km) being the Capitol grounds themselves.

The U.S. Capitol Police has also concurrent jurisdiction with the District of Columbia's Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the U.S. Park Police, the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division, and others federal agencies to enforce District of Columbia laws, based upon cooperative agreements with MPD and the Police Coordination Act covering local cooperation with 32 federal law enforcement agencies.

The U.S. Capitol Police also have extended jurisdiction over parts of Northeast, Northwest, and Southwest Washington D.C. The USCP provides protection detail to House and Senate leaders, other Members of Congress depending on individual risk analysis, Members' state and district offices (with the help of local police), and "off-campus" events such as presidential nominating conventions.

Four congressional committees have statutory oversight. The authority of the police chief is, in many ways, restrained. The Capitol Police chief reports to the Capitol Police Board, a three-person group composed of the Senate and House sergeants at arms and the architect of the Capitol. …

U.S. Capitol Police officers attend training at the Capitol Police Training Academy in Cheltenham, Maryland and is one of many agencies that sends its recruits to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), located in Glynco, Georgia, for initial training. Rarely, recruits are sent to the FLETC location in Artesia, New Mexico.

Following 12 weeks at FLETC, recruits return to FLETC's location in Cheltenham, for an additional 13 weeks of training. After the recruits' academy training, graduates are sworn in as law enforcement officers and assigned to one of four divisions to begin their careers. Once assigned, officers are assigned a Field Training Officer (FTO) for a definite period to provide additional on-the-job training. FTOs provide weekly updates on the subjects that have been learned and issue tests to the new officers.

Officers are also subject to a one-year probationary period. Starting salary is $83,362.00. After 30 months of satisfactory performance, officers are eligible for promotion to private first class (PFC).

USCP officers and special agents are covered under the Federal Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) enhanced retirement provisions under the Civil Service Retirement (CSRS), which covers federal employees hired before 1984, or the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS), which covers employees hired in 1984 or later. Similar to other Federal LEOs covered under those enhanced retirement provisions (e.g., DEA, FBI, U.S. Marshals, U.S. Secret Service, ICE, Border Patrol), USCP officers and special agents are subject to mandatory retirement at age 57, or as soon as 20 years of service have been completed after age 57.

The U.S. Capitol Police is organized into bureaus and offices that report to each of the executive team members.

USCP contains several specialty units and assignments offering expert training. These specialty units are within the Uniformed Services Bureau, the Protective Services Bureau, the Operational Services Bureau, and the Mission Assurance Bureau:

Pursuant to 2 U.S.C. §1901, the U.S. Capitol Police is headed by a chief who is appointed and reports to the Capitol Police Board following a highly selective process.

Michael G. Sullivan was sworn in as the 12th chief of the U.S. Capitol Police on June 30, 2025. Previously, Sean Gallagher served as the acting chief of police and while concurrently as the assistant chief of police for uniformed operations .

The Capitol Police Board is the body that governs the United States Capitol Police. It was established in 1873, and today consists of three voting members: the sergeant at arms of the United States House of Representatives, the sergeant at arms of the United States Senate, and the architect of the Capitol. Additionally, the chief of the Capitol Police serves ex officio as a non-voting member. The chairmanship of the board alternates annually between the House and Senate sergeants at arms.

The board, like Congress, is not subject to freedom of information laws, and the inspector general of the board does not publish their findings and reports to the board who retains their employment.

Current board members are listed below by order of tenure.

The history of the United States Capitol Police dates back to 1801 when Congress moved from the city of Philadelphia to the newly constructed Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. At the time, Congress appointed one watchman to protect the building and Congressional property.

The police were formally created by Congress in 1828 following the assault on John Adams II, the son of John Quincy Adams, in the Capitol rotunda. The United States Capitol Police had as its original duty the provision of security for the United States Capitol.

Its mission has expanded to provide the congressional community and its visitors with a variety of security 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 Containment and Emergency Response Team (CERT), K-9, a Patrol/Mobile Response Division and a full-time Hazardous Devices and Hazardous Materials Sections.

In 1979, the Capitol Police got a separate chief of police; the role had previously been filled by officers of the Metropolitan Police Department.

In 2005 Congress established the United States Capitol Police (USCP) Office of Inspector General (OIG) as a legislative agency. The inspector general heads OIG, supervises and conducts audits, inspections, and investigations involving USCP programs, functions, systems, and operations, and reports directly to the Capitol Police Board.

The Library of Congress Police were merged into the force in 2009.

Prior to 2021, four Capitol police officers had died in the line of duty.

On July 24, 1998, a shooting occurred at a security checkpoint inside the Capitol, killing one U.S. Capitol police officer. Another Capitol Police officer was killed when the assailant entered Majority Whip Tom DeLay's (R-TX-22) office.

Since 2001, more than 250 Black officers have sued the Capitol Police over allegations of racism. After the 2021 storming of the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, several Capitol police were suspended for possible complicity with the rioters.

Even though Washington, D.C. is 46% Black, only 32.5% of the Capitol Police is. This is in contrast to the Metropolitan Police Department (for D.C.), which is 52% Black. …