Pennsylvania Capitol Police Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Pennsylvania State Capitol Police

Agency overview
Formed	1895
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction	United States
Legal jurisdiction	Capitol Complex and state office buildings in Dauphin County, PA, and Scranton, Pennsylvania
Specialist jurisdiction	Buildings and lands occupied or explicitly controlled by the institution and the institution's personnel, and public entering the buildings and precincts of the institution.
Operational structure
Headquarters	70E Capitol East Wing, Harrisburg, PA 17125
Agency executive	Joseph Jacob, Superintendent
Facilities
Stations	2
Patrol cars	22
Dogs	5

The Pennsylvania State Capitol Police helps keep important state buildings safe. They work for the Pennsylvania Department of General Services. Their job is to provide security, enforce laws, and manage parking. They protect the State Capitol Complex in Harrisburg. They also look after state government offices in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Scranton, Pennsylvania. Their main area of work is state-owned buildings and land. This includes the Capitol Complex and other state buildings in Harrisburg.

About the Pennsylvania Capitol Police
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About the Pennsylvania Capitol Police

Their History

The Pennsylvania State Capitol Police Force started in 1895. It was created by Governor Daniel Hartman Hastings. He was the 21st Governor of Pennsylvania. This made the Capitol Police the first police agency for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is also the second oldest state police group in the United States. Only the Texas Rangers are older.

Being a Top Police Force

The Capitol Police works hard to be a great police department. They first earned a special award called "accreditation" on July 9, 2005. This award came from the Pennsylvania Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission. It also came from the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association. In 2020, they received this award for the fifth time. They were also given "Premier Agency Status" by the PA Chiefs of Police.

They also earned an international award on July 28, 2007. This was from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). In 2020, they got this award for the fifth time too. CALEA recognized the Pennsylvania Capitol Police for being excellent and highly trained. This shows their strong commitment to being a professional police department.

Tools and Teams

The Pennsylvania State Capitol Police uses modern equipment. Their patrol cars are all made by Ford. These include Police Interceptor Sedans and Police Interceptor Utility vehicles. Some of their cars are marked with police signs, and some are unmarked.

They also have special K-9 (dog) units. Four of these K-9 units are trained to find explosives. They check all delivery vehicles entering the Capitol Complex buildings. Another K-9 unit is trained to find drugs. This unit also helps with search and rescue missions.

Specialized Units

The Capitol Police has different teams that do specific jobs:

Patrol: These officers are the most visible. They respond to calls and keep areas safe.
K-9's: These are the dog units. They help find explosives, drugs, and people.
Bike Patrol: Officers on bicycles patrol areas. This helps them get around quickly in busy places.
Criminal Investigations: This team looks into crimes that happen.
Criminal Intelligence: This unit gathers information to prevent crimes.
Mobile Field Force: This team helps manage large events or situations.
Special Response Team (S.R.T): This is a highly trained team for dangerous situations.
Active Shooter and Crime Prevention Training: They train others on how to stay safe.
Risk and Vulnerability Assessments: They check buildings for weaknesses. This helps make places safer.