In the 1940's after World War II, the City Government organized a security force made up of primarily World Ward II veterans that were tasked in the safeguarding of the District owned properties and to prevent theft.  At this time, these security officers were known as the District of Columbia Guard Force.

 

Then in the 1960's with the escalation of the Vietnam War, the need for District properties to be better protected was evident.  Staffing of District of Columbia Guard Force increased and the officers began to provide security for the DC Court System, City Hall and other District agencies.

 

With the establishment of the Mayor and City Council of the District of Columbia in the 1970's, a further expansion of the District Government, its facilities and personnel occurred and likewise the size of the force increased.  The force grew during this time until the department reached its highest level of staffing at 460 officers.

 

Under the current leadership of Chief Louis P. Cannon, PSD has developed a unified law enforcement direction to better achieve the primary mission of protecting the personnel and assets of the District of Columbia.  Chief Cannon's vision of establishing the PSD Police Department as the prominent law enforcement agency in the field of protective services will be realized by establishing the highest level of service benchmarks that other protective services police agencies may hope to achieve.