Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police M.P.D.
1970 to 1979
U.S. bombs Cambodia - US Supreme Court bans capitol punishment - Watergate - President Nixon resigns - America turns 200 years old - Hostages in Iran
1970 to 1979
BlackSheep Productions 2009
1970 - Sergeant Cecil Kirk and technician Walter Capps are honored for their work in the filming of " some to Demonstrate and Some to Destroy", winning a "Golden Eagle Award." They would later work on "The Whole World is Watching", which documented the 1971 " MAY DAY" Demonstrations and also won a local Emmy,(MPD).
1977 - A change in the ammunition issued is made, when officers are provided with hollow point bullets for their issued .38 caliber revolvers.
1978 - On Friday, January 13th 1978, an accidental explosion in a weapons storage room set off several tear gas canisters sending several to the hospital for treatment. The mishap forced the closure of the building to all but essential personnel, (MPD).
SISTER ELEANOR NIEDWICK: Age 25 Sister of U.S. Order's "Daughters of Wisdom," continues for three weeks as an armed police officer in the federal capital Washington patrol. The nun, who had scored in the training as one of the best female pistol shooters, had been previously employed in the office of the Vice Squad headquarters, "and that really opened my eyes." Their present job(in the 70's) for which Eleanor Niedwick an annual salary of $8,000 refers to - it leads from one part of it to their order - the police-based sister saying that " the Church is everywhere, not only in schools and hospitals.
Although this is a 1957 Ford, the SOD did not get that vehicle until the late 60’s early 70’s. The emblem and paint design did not come about until the 70’s, (former member M.P.D.)
Early 1970's photo of two M.P.D. Officers. The Officer on the right is Officer Fish,(first name unknown) the Officer on the left has not yet been identified..
1973-74's M.P.D. Officer Mary Foo's preparing to assist with a hostage situation outside a D.C. court house. Here she is shown retrieving the tear gas launcher. Officer Foo's, also known as "Foo's" to friends, was a member of the M.P.D.'s S.O.D. Tactical Unit. This stand off is said to have lasted around 36 hours.
1970's version of C.S.I. with the M.P.D.
A motley crew of some 1979 M.P.D. Roughnecks !
M.P.D. Dealing with a 1971 Demonstrator - Ya, these guys earn their pay...
Operation STING
Robert Redford made his movie The Sting in the 70's. the M.P.D. had their own version...
MAY DAY PROTESTS
1971
The 1971 May Day Protests were a series of large-scale civil disobedience actions in Washington, D.C., in protest against the Vietnam War. These began on May 1st of that year, continued with similar intensity into the morning of the third day, then rapidly diminished through several following days. Most members of the Nixon Administration would come to view the events as damaging, because the government's response led to mass arrests and were perceived as violating rights.
All photos in this story have been provided by the D.C. Metropolitan Police
Main Ave.
May Day Arrests
May Day Sit In
Officer Joe Duff was a member of MPDC from 1970-95
Most of this time he was with the SOD
Photo provided by the M.P.D.
M.P.D. SCOUT CAR patrolling the mean streets of the 1970's Washington D.C.
Photo provided by the M.P.D.
Photo provided by the M.P.D.
Photo provided by the M.P.D.
M.P.D.' 1970's Officer Friendly
Remember When
THE FARMERS CAME TO WASHINGTON
Photo provided by Steve O'Dell
1974's D.C. Officer Wade Sovonick
Crazy: D.C. Police Officer Charged in SE Holdup
Posted by: Ghosts of DC on August 15, 2013 in From the Crazy Vault
Really? This is a crazy headline from the Washington Post, published on March 1st, 1972. The city was a little rough around the edges then, but a policeman performing a holdup?
A metropolitan policeman was arrested last night and charged with the armed robbery last Friday of a practical nurse employed at the George Washington University Hospital, police said.
Investigators said that Officer Willis T. Poole, 25, of Suitland, voluntarily appeared at seventh district headquarters about 10 p.m., apparently after learning that a warrant had been issued for his arrest.
He was charged in connection with an incident last Friday afternoon when, according to police accounts, Lucile Bradford, 50, was walking near her home in the 2100 block of 31st Street SE. A man armed with a gun approached her and order her to “Give me all your things and keep walking.”
The man took Mrs. Bradford’s brown pocketbook, containing a small amount of cash, a paper bag with three dresses inside, then fled.
Police spokesmen last night refused to say what evidence led them to charge Poole.
Poole is a four-year veteran of the force who has been assigned to scout car duty with the seventh district.
He had been placed on administrative leave with pay Monday while police investigated the case.
After surrendering last night at the headquarters at 2301 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. Se. Poole was taken to the central cell block where he was being held in lieu of a $5,000 bond.
He was scheduled for arraignment today by a U.S. magistrate.
1973 Vespa Scooter
Bob Arscott
Metropolitan Police of Washington, DC History
DC POLICE OPERATION STING…In 1975 the DC Police undercover operatives posing as members of the mafia set up a fence and bought stolen property. All buys were videotaped on reel to reel video equipment. At the end of the operation which they coined the named “Operation Sting”. At the end they arrested 565 criminals, recovered 5.5 million dollars in stolen property, closed over 1,800 criminal cases and had a conviction rate of 99.7%. This record has yet to be broken. They then went around the USA and Canada teaching federal agencies and police departments the techniques. Today sting operations are standard law enforcement activities. And now you know where the phrase “Sting Operations” originated.
Chuck G.
P.O. Box 911
Foxborough, Ma. 02035
1978's 3rd District members receiving Commendations for numerous actions above and beyond the call..
In 1955 George Richards joined the D.C. Metropolitan Police. During 1978 he was promoted to the rank of Captain and he retired shortly there after. George passed away in 2012 and his daughter Carol (Richards) Underwood would like any communication from folks who served with her father. Carol is interested in stories that she can pass along to family members, please contact her at:
M.P.D.C. Officer Mike Zovak and K-9 Max say hello to a new friend.
These three pictures are from a TIME Magazine article about Mr. Gary Abrecht & Mrs. Mary Ellen Abrecht.
Mrs. Abrecht had a short career with the M.P.D. but continued on the be a Judge in the D.C. Civil Court.
Mr. Abrecht was a a Commander of 1-D in the early 90's and later went on to hold the Chief of Police for the U.S. Capitol Police.
MANY of the ranking officers of the M.P.D.C. continue their career as Chiefs of Police around the country......
Photo added with permission, to visit photographers web site go to:
One of my favorite pictures...
Photo added with permission of the photographer, to visit Ed's site go to :
Recently Retired Lt. Bob Arscott put out an awesome You Tube mini documentary on Operation Sting. He breaks down how the operation came about and the day to day WORK that went into making the sting successful far beyond anyone's expectation. Attention to detail, dedication and determination helped bring hundreds of bad guys to jail. Click on the link below to see how it was when cops could be cops...
Operation STING
May Day Protests
