The United States Mint Police (USMP) is a U.S. federal law enforcement agency responsible for the protection of the facilities of the U.S. Mint. In 2004 they employed 376 police officers.

History

The United States Mint Police was founded in 1792, making it one of the oldest

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in the United States.United States Department of the Treasury
The United States Mint Police
Last accessed 29-02-2008.

Official duties

Mint Police Officers are required to successfully pass the Uniform Police Training Program at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center at either Glynnco, Georgia or Artesia, New Mexico for 13 weeks and complete a 5 weeks field training program. The Mint Police is responsible for protecting over $300 billion in Treasury and other government assets stored in U.S. Mint facilities in

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Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

Fort Knox Fort Knox is a United States Army installation in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. It is adjacent to the United States Bullion Depository, which is used to house a large portion of the United States' official gold res ...

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Departments: A Closer Look at the United States Mint Police''Police: The Law Enforcement Magazine''
December 2006. Last accessed 14-09-2017. The Mint Police also safeguards over 2,800 U.S. Mint employees. In addition, the United States Mint Police have guarded the

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; and from

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

to 1978, the

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. Its scope has increased over the years, and it now trains with local law enforcement and has bicycle patrols throughout cities. In the past, the Mint Police have "participated in security details at a variety of non-Mint-related events, including two

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, the Kentucky Derby,

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, and an

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...

Conference." It also assisted with

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

, protecting the

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and participating in relief efforts.

Rank Structure

Equipment

As Federal Police officers, USMP officers carry firearms and a variety of police equipment, including batons, handcuffs, radios and

oleoresin capsicum Pepper spray, oleoresin capsicum spray, OC spray, capsaicin spray, or capsicum spray is a lachrymatory agent (a compound that irritates the eyes to cause a burning sensation, pain, and temporary blindness) used in policing, riot control, cr ...

. The USMP uses marked police vehicles in the execution of their duties, notably Fords,

Chevrolet Tahoe The Chevrolet Tahoe, and its badge engineered GMC Yukon counterpart, are full-size SUVs from General Motors, offered since 1994 and 1991, respectively. Since 1982, Chevrolet and GMC sold two different-sized SUVs under their 'Blazer' and 'Jimmy ...

s, with red-and-blue lights, sirens and radio systems.

Locations

USMP police and guard various facilities, including: *Philadelphia, Pa.; *San Francisco, Calif.; *West Point, N.Y.; *Denver, Colo.; *Fort Knox, Ky.; and headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Fallen officer

Since the establishment of the United States Mint Police, one officer has died in the line of duty.

References

{{Federal law enforcement agencies of the United States, state=collapsed 1792 establishments in the United States Mint Police

Police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...