United States Park Police Officers
Description
As one of the oldest uniformed federal law enforcement agencies in the United States, the United States Park Police, originally named the Park Watchmen, were established in 1791 under George Washington. While they functioned similarly to local metropolitan police, they worked independently outside of the federal government until 1849 when they were redirected under the Department of the Interior. The role of directing the officers continued to shift, from the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds, to the specially made Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital, and then in 1933 they were lastly transferred to serve under National Park Service. Today they serve across the country, in Washington, DC, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, New York and California. Along with regular law enforcement duties, they police several famous United States monuments as part of their job. Another one of their roles is to protect the President, and any visiting dignitaries thereof.
Creator
National Park Service - U.S. Department of the Interior
Date
Unknown
Source
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/United_States_Park_Police_Officers-old.jpg
Rights
A black and white photograph of early United States Park Police officers standing in front of a building.
Source: United States Park Police. (2012, September 27). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 18:06, October 5, 2012, from http://bit.ly/WvuQhk
For Further Exploration Please Visit http://www.nps.gov/uspp/
Source: United States Park Police. (2012, September 27). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 18:06, October 5, 2012, from http://bit.ly/WvuQhk
For Further Exploration Please Visit http://www.nps.gov/uspp/
Publisher
National Park Service
Contributor
National Park Service
Format
Medium: Photograph.
Language
English
Type
Public Safety
Identifier
Monuments, National Park Service, Park Watchmen, Police, US Park Police
Coverage
Historic
Files
Collection
Reference
National Park Service - U.S. Department of the Interior, United States Park Police Officers, National Park Service, Unknown
Cite As
National Park Service - U.S. Department of the Interior, “United States Park Police Officers,” Virtual Museum of Public Service, accessed February 19, 2025, https://vmps.omeka.net/items/show/187.