Philadelphia Police Department

The Philadelphia Police Department (PPD) is the police agency responsible for law enforcement and investigations within the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the oldest municipal police agency in the United States, and the sixth largest non-federal law enforcement agency in the country (behind the New York City Police Department, Chicago Police Department, Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the California Highway Patrol).

Present-day Philadelphia Police Department

The current Philadelphia Police Department employs more than 6,600 officers, and patrols an area of 369.4 km² (142.6 mi²) with a population of almost 1.5 million. The department is subdivided into twenty-one patrol districts, and like many other large municipal police forces, it incorporates many special units such as a K-9 squad, SWAT, community relations unit, and harbor patrol. The highest-ranking officer is Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey, a former Chicago police officer and former Chief of the D.C. Metropolitan Police.

Special aspects of the Philadelphia Police Department

The Philadelphia Police Department has several unique features which distinguish it from other municipal police agencies. One of these features is the department's Hero Scholarship Thrill Show, which is a 45-year-old program designed to provide funds for the college education of the children of PPD and Philadelphia Fire Department officers slain or disabled in the...
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