Title 5, Police, Firefighters, Medical Examiner, and Forensic Sciences.

Any member of the police force, when thereto authorized in writing by the Chief of Police, and having in his possession a pawnbroker’s receipt or ticket, shall be allowed to examine the property purporting to be pawned or pledged, or deposited upon said receipt or ticket, in whos…

Any willful interference with the Chief of Police, or with any member of the police force, by any of the persons named in § 5-117.01 [repealed], while in official and due discharge of duty, shall be punishable as a misdemeanor.

Except as provided in § 22-1319, whoever shall make or cause to be made to the Metropolitan Police force of the District of Columbia, or to any officer or member thereof, a false or fictitious report of the commission of any criminal offense within the District of Columbia, or a …

(a) There shall be an office of the Metropolitan Police District known as the Office of the Property Clerk. The Property Clerk shall be a member of the Metropolitan Police force. The staff shall consist of civilians who are not members of the Metropolitan Police force, except tha…

All property, or money alleged or supposed to have been feloniously obtained, or which shall be lost or abandoned, and which shall be thereafter taken into the custody of any member of the police force, or the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, or which shall come into s…

All such property and money shall be particularly registered by the Property Clerk in a book kept for that purpose, which shall contain also a record of the names of the persons from whom such property or money was taken, the names of all claimants thereto, the place where found,…

The Property Clerk is vested with all the powers conferred by law upon notaries public in the District.

The Property Clerk may administer oaths and certify depositions which may be necessary to establish the ownership of any property or money lost, abandoned, or returned to him under the directions of the Mayor of the District of Columbia, including such property or money so return…

(a) Upon satisfactory evidence of the ownership of property or money described in § 5-119.05 he shall deliver the same to the owner, his next of kin, or legal representative and to him or them only. If, in any case, it is proven impracticable for such owner, next of kin, or legal…

Whenever property or money shall be taken from persons arrested, and shall be alleged to have been feloniously obtained, or to be the proceeds of crime, and whenever so brought with such claimant and the person arrested before any court for trial, and the court shall be satisfied…

If any claim to the ownership of such property or money shall be made on oath before the court, by or in behalf of any other persons than the persons arrested, and the accused person shall be held for trial or examination, such property or money shall remain in the custody of the…

(a) All property or money taken on suspicion of having been feloniously obtained, or of being the proceeds of crime, and for which there is no other claimant than the person from whom such property was taken, and all lost property coming into possession of any member of the polic…

(a) With respect to all property (including money), except perishable property, animals, firearms and property of persons with mental illness, not otherwise disposed of in accordance with § 5-119.09, that shall remain in the custody of the Property Clerk for not less than 90 days…

Neither the government of the District of Columbia nor any officer or employee thereof shall be liable for damage to any property resulting from the removal of such property from public space, or the transportation of such property into the custody of the Property Clerk, Metropol…

Horses and other animals taken by the police and remaining unclaimed for 20 days may be advertised and sold upon 10 days public notice.

All perishable property so taken and unclaimed shall be sold at once.

When animals or articles of property (except perishable property) other than money, returned to the Property Clerk as the proceeds of crime, are shown by sufficient evidence to be necessary for the current use of the owner and not for sale, the Mayor of the District of Columbia h…

Perishable property, returned to the Property Clerk as the proceeds of crime, may be delivered to the owner on ample security being taken by the court for his appearance to prosecute the case.

When large quantities of goods held for sale by the owner, come into the possession of the Property Clerk as the proceeds of crime, the same may be delivered to the owner, his heirs or representatives, as provided in § 5-119.06, upon ample security to prosecute the case. But in s…

If any property or money placed in the custody of the Property Clerk shall be desired as evidence in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, such property shall be delivered to any officer who shall present an order to that effect from such Court; but such property shall …

Any property or money returned to the Property Clerk as the proceeds of crime, and which shall not be called for as evidence by any proceeding in the courts of the District within 1 year from the date of such return, may, unless specially claimed by the owner within that time, be…

Nothing in §§ 5-119.01 through 5-119.10 and 5-119.12 through 5-119.18 shall be held to require the Property Clerk to make disposition of any abandoned intangible personal property except as provided for in Chapter 1 of Title 41.

The Council of the District of Columbia shall by regulation require that bonds in the amount of not more than $25,000 shall be furnished and kept in force by all persons licensed as private detectives in the District of Columbia. Bonds required by this section shall be corporate …

It shall be the duty of every person prosecuting the business of a private detective, who may arrest a person for crime, to bring the person arrested, with all evidence of the alleged crime, including property or money which may become evidence, immediately to the office of the C…

Any person practicing as a private detective or advertising or holding himself out as such without first complying with the provisions of law relative to private detectives shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to a fine not exceeding $500 or imprisonment in the District J…

All laws which govern the police force in the matters of persons, property, or money shall be applicable to all private detectives (or to persons practicing as detectives, whatever other name they may assume) and such detectives or persons shall make like returns and dispositions…

It is unlawful for any private detective, or any member of the police force, or for any other person to compromise a felony or any other unlawful act, or to participate in, assent to, aid or assist any person suspected of crime to escape a full judicial examination by failing to …

(a) No member of the Metropolitan Police of the District of Columbia shall be or become a member of any organization, or of an organization affiliated with another organization, which itself, or any subordinate, component, or affiliated organization of which, holds, claims, or us…

Any officer who uses unnecessary and wanton severity in arresting or imprisoning any person shall be deemed guilty of assault and battery, and, upon conviction, punished therefor.

The Council of the District of Columbia finds and declares that the use of restraints generally known as chokeholds by law enforcement officers constitutes the use of lethal force, and that the unrestricted use of force presents an unnecessary danger to the public. These conclusi…

For the purposes of this subchapter, the term: (1) A “trachea hold,” “arm bar hold,” or “bar-arm hold” means any weaponless technique or any technique using the officer’s arm, a long or short police baton, or a flashlight or other firm object that attempts to control or disable a…

(a) The use of the trachea hold by any police officer shall be prohibited under any circumstances and the carotid artery hold shall be prohibited except under those circumstances and conditions under which the use of lethal force is necessary to protect the life of a civilian or …

In addition to the powers vested in them by law, the Council of the District of Columbia is hereby authorized and empowered to make and modify, and the Mayor of the District of Columbia is hereby authorized and empowered to enforce, under such penalties as the Council may deem ne…

The Mayor and the Chief of Police have power to administer, take, receive, and subscribe all affirmations and oaths to any depositions necessary by the rules and regulations of the Mayor, relating to the Metropolitan Police.

It shall be the duty of the police force to respect and obey the Chief of Police as the head and chief of the police force, subject to the rules, regulations, and general orders of the Council of the District of Columbia and the Mayor of the District of Columbia.

(a) The Mayor of the District of Columbia, and the members of the police force, shall possess in every part of the District all the common-law powers of constables, except for the service of civil process and for the collection of strictly private debts, in which designation fine…

Any warrant for search or arrest, issued by any judge of the District, may be executed in any part of the District by any member of the police force, without any backing or indorsement of the warrant, and according to the terms thereof; and all provisions of law in relation to ba…

(a) The Mayor, on application of any corporation or individual, or in his own discretion, may appoint special police officers and security officers in connection with the property of, or under the charge of, such corporation or individual; provided, that the special police office…

The Mayor of the District of Columbia may, upon any emergency of riot, pestilence, invasion, insurrection, or during any day of public election, ceremony, or celebration, appoint as many special privates without pay, from among the citizens, as he may deem advisable, and for a sp…

(a) The Mayor shall establish a Metropolitan Police Department Reserve Corps (“Reserve Corps”) in the District of Columbia. The purpose of the Reserve Corps shall be to assist full-time, sworn police personnel in both the day-to-day and emergency delivery of law enforcement servi…

(a) The Chief of Police may charge and collect reimbursement fees, as set forth in the fee schedule established pursuant to subsection (b) of this section, for providing police escorts that are necessary to protect public health and safety. All reimbursement fees collected under …

There is hereby authorized to be established in the Metropolitan Police Department a band to perform at such municipal or civic functions and events as may be authorized by the Mayor of the District of Columbia. The Mayor is authorized in his discretion to detail officers and mem…

The Secretary of the Interior is authorized in his discretion to detail officers and members of the United States Park Police force to participate in the activities of the band established by this subchapter, and the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized in his discretion to de…

(a) Notwithstanding the limitations of existing law, the person who is the Director of the Metropolitan Police Force band may elect to retire after having served 10 or more years in such capacity and having attained the age of 70 years. Upon such retirement, whether for age and s…

The person who is the Director of the Metropolitan Police Force band shall, upon his retirement from such position, be retired under the provisions of this subchapter and not under subchapter III of Chapter 83 of Title 5, United States Code, and the moneys to his credit in the Ci…

Appropriations to carry out the purpose of this subchapter is hereby authorized.