1860 wasn’t only a turning point in the country’s history, the city of Washington was coming closer to the creation of the Metropolitan Police Department.

The election of Abraham Lincoln led to the secession of seven states in the South before the inauguration and four more when the Civil War began with the Battle of Fort Sumter. Washington was a border town, but it had strong sympathies for the South. Many of the city’s police force began slipping away to the south. Others were dismissed when it became obvious where their loyalties were. The City Council hoped that the government would assume responsibility for maintaining order in the Capitol and in May of 1861, a Provost Guard began patrolling Washington streets at night. Later when the city police force was further reduced, the Provost Guard began patrolling during the day.

A Metropolitan Policing System had for some years been in operation in London, New York, Baltimore, and other large cities. President Abraham Lincoln recognized that the District of Columbia was in desperate need of a regular police force and that it should be free and independent of political influences.

On July 16, 1861, Roscoe Conkling, a Republican member of the House of Representatives from New York introduced a bill as an amendment to an act to establish an auxiliary watch for the protection of public and private property in the city of Washington. The amendment provided that the appointment of the watch or guard should be taken from the mayor and given to the Secretary of the Interior. On the same day the Washington City Police bill, authorizing the President and Speaker of the House to appoint the auxiliary guard, was passed by the Senate.

President Lincoln gave his approval and on August 6, 1861, an act merging Washington, the corporation of Georgetown and the County of Washington into the Metropolitan Police District of the District of Columbia was passed. A few days later Zenas C. Robbins, Joseph F. Brown and Richard Wallach were appointed commissioners from the city of Washington: Wm. H. Tenney, from Georgetown, and Sayles J. Bowen, from the county of Washington.

On August 13, 1861, President Lincoln personally requested Zenas C. Robbins, Esq., a member of the newly created Board of Metropolitan Police Commissioners, to take the first railroad train to New York and, upon arrival, to thoroughly familiarize himself with the features of the New York Police System and the experiences of its leadership. The New York Police System had been modeled after the famous Metropolitan Police of London. This latter force was then recognized as the world’s most outstanding police organization. It was based on the results of Mr. Robbins’ study of the New York Police System that the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia was modeled.

On August 19. 1861, the First Meeting of the Police Commissioners was in the aldermen’s chamber of City Hall. Justice John H. administered the oath of office to Johnson to all but Mayor Berret, who declined to take it on the grounds that it was superfluous. Mayor Berret and Messrs. Richard Wallach and Joseph F. Brown, of Washington; Mayor Addison and Mr. William H. Tenney, of Georgetown, and Sayles J. Bowen, of the county, present; Mr. Robbins was absent from the city at that time. Mayor Berret called the meeting to order. Mr. Tenney moved the session to be held with closed doors, which was adopted, and the room was cleared.

 The board organized permanently by the election of Richard Wallach as president, J.F. Brown as treasurer, and Thomas A. Lazenby as clerk.

On August 24, 1861, Mr. Berret made a motion that the auxiliary guard continued in service until September 1.

At the August 31st board meeting, the members fixed the standard height of policemen at five feet six inches, agreed upon a sub‐division of the police precincts, and elected fifty‐six patrolmen for Washington. The Auxiliary Guard were notified that their term of office expired on that day, and their last tour of duty ended on Sunday morning, September 1st.

On September 3, 1861, William B. Webb, the first superintendent of the Metropolitan Police Department, was elected, and at the same meeting, it was decided that an ex officio member could not hold an office, with Mr. Wallach, having been in the meantime elected mayor of Washington in place of Mr. Berret, who had been arrested by the military authorities. As a result, Mr. Z.C. Robbins was elected president.

In September 1861, William B. Webb was appointed the first superintendent of police for the District of Columbia. At that time, the authorized strength of this force consisted of a superintendent, 10 sergeants, and enough patrolmen as might be necessary, but not to exceed 150. Up to ten precincts were authorized.

Upon assuming office, Webb began the task of investigating and qualifying applicants for the authorized positions. Although speed was essential, finding good men was equally important. This was not easy because as the Civil War was moving forward, the military was also looking to fill their ranks with able-bodied men.

In 1861, a police applicant had to meet several prerequisites. He had to be a U.S. citizen who was able to read and write the English language, have been a resident of the District of Columbia for 2 years, as well as having never been convicted of a crime. Each applicant also had to be at least 5 feet 6 inches tall and be between the ages of 25 and 45 years old. Those hired were required to be in good health, of a sound mind, and possess good character and an upright reputation. Superintendent Webb made it his policy to interview each candidate personally, working an average of 20 hours a day to fill out the department. Local physicians volunteered to give the required physical examinations to applicants, although they seem to have been perfunctory in nature.

The superintendent of police’s salary was $1,500 annually, with sergeants earning $600 and patrolmen $480 a year.

On September 10, 1861, more officers were sworn in bringing the total to 10 sergeants and 150 privates or patrolmen—with 16 acting as roundsmen (a position now filled by the sergeants.)

On September 11, 1861, the sergeants and most of the personnel for staffing two precincts had qualified for duty and on September 12, 1861, the bond for William B. Webb was approved and he was officially appointed by the Board of Police Commissioners to be the Metropolitan Police Department’s first “Major and Superintendent.” The swearing-in ceremony was performed in the Senate wing of the Capitol Building. The men immediately went to work–or at least half of them did, because the force was divided into two 12-hour tours of duty.

“I’ll never forget the first day we went on duty.” It was raining and the first roll call was at 6 o’clock in the evening. The city was divided into ten precincts. When the force was organized Mr. William B. Webb was chief and there were one hundred and fifty members. There were no station houses, and the roll was called out in the street. I was in the old seventh ward, which was in South Washington, and answered the roll call on the cellar door of the old Island hall.

“We were a pretty crowed that evening when we started out. We had no batons, badges, uniforms or clubs, but were provided with a small oil cloth band to put around our hats bearing the inscription: “Metropolitan police.”

Policeman Augustus Brown bears the distinction of being the only man who wore a badge the first day he went on duty. Brown, who was a member of the corporation police prior to the organization of the metropolitan force still had his badge and pinned that to his overcoat.

“The first thing the men did was to go to a pile of wood and get clubs, the regulation size being 22 inches long. Some of the primitive batons were of good size and looked as if they were to be used as mallets father than on the heads of offenders against the laws.” -The Evening Star, March 8, 1890

These tours were from midnight to noon and noon to midnight. The men on the force worked 7 days a week with no days off and no provisions for any vacation. They were issued no equipment. Members were supposed to supply their own handguns and were prohibited from carrying shotguns and rifles. Additionally, they were not allowed to carry canes or umbrellas.

“How about the hats?” inquired the reporter. “Some went on duty wearing slouch hats, others had derbiemand silk hats and some hardly had any hats,” was his reply, “but it was only four months before the government furnished uniforms, caps and clubs, but they don’t furnish them now. The oil cloth, which was the only thing to designate the policemen from other citizens, gave them the appearance of hotel porters and they were often called such by the soldiers. -The Evening Star, March 8, 1890

“The police at that time had the old‐fashioned whistles with a ball in them. They took the place of the rattles that were used by the old corporation police. Even after the change in the force’s rattles were kept in many houses and were used when police assistance was necessary. “The prisoners were tried at the old central guard house, the soldiers arrested being turned over to the military court, which occupied a portion of the building. The punishment meted out to the offenders was about the same as now, in petty cases the fine usually being $5 and costs. The costs were either 48, 54 or 94 cents, according to the circumstances attending the case. The jail building was at the corner of 4th and G streets, where the pension office now is, and persons sentenced to that prison were escorted there by an officer and compelled to work. The workhouse was situated where the alms house now is and $1 was allowed by the magistrate for transporting prisoners there. The officers then used to hire a hack or other public vehicle and go to the prison in style. Sometimes there would be a dozen or more prisoners to be taken at once and then an omnibus was procured. -The Evening Star, March 8, 1890

The newly formed police force did not have any insignia to display for their authority, Webb’s first act was to procure temporary badges for the Metropolitan Police Department. In doing so, Major and Superintendent Webb was given a budget of twenty dollars to provide a badge for 9 Sergeants and 110 patrolmen and those numbers were climbing as more men were added to the rolls.

Henry Polkinhorn was given the contract to print the first badges for the Metropolitan Police Department at a cost of fifteen dollars.

The uniforms adopted in the early days were not as gorgeous as those that have since taken their place. The Superintendent wore a frock coat with police- buttons, the sergeants, double-breasted frock coats and blue pants, while the patrolmen were attired in navy-blue coats with rolling collars and nine buttons, two fastened at the hips and two on the skirt, blue waistcoats, and pants with white cords down the seams. The coats were to be always buttoned when officers were on duty, and hats were the official headgear for all members of the force.

On September 23, 1861, the Capitol building of the United States was selected as the emphasis for the patrolmen’s badge. The Superintendent’s badge was adorned with a shield of gilt or gold, surmounted with an eagle, while for the Sergeant’s badge was chosen to be a silver plate with an eagle and a number.

Lamb Seal & Stencil Co. supplied the badges and after 1895 by the Bastian Brothers Company of Rochester, New York.