U.S. Mint Police

The U.S. Mint, created by Congress on April 2, 1792, is responsible for keeping enough coinage in circulation to allow the nation to conduct day-to-day business. The Mint, headquartered in Washington, D.C., engraves and produces coins and medals at facilities in Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco, and West Point, New York, and is responsible for storing and protecting silver, gold, and platinum bullion at West Point and Fort Knox, Kentucky.

The Mint Police force was created by the Mint in 1792, making it one of the oldest federal law enforcement agencies. The force, credited with creating the standard “as safe as Fort Knox,” is responsible for enforcing federal and local laws at the[Page 875] Mint's six locations. The Mint Police use as a recruiting slogan the fact that the force protects more than $100 billion worth of Treasury Department and other government assets, the bulk of which is stored at Fort Knox, where “no visitors are permitted and no exceptions are made.”

As recently as 1999, the Mint Police force was described by its chief as a “boutique police department,” which was staffed largely by officers retired from local police departments. In addition, the agency used contract police at its Washington facilities through 1999. This resulted in a force disproportionately older, white, and male. Since then, the number of minority and female applicants and officers has increased significantly. Recruitment of all applicants had to be stepped up in 2002, when nearly half the Mint Police officers transferred out of the force to join the Federal Air Marshal Service and other agencies that had been enlarged, or created, in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Authorized strength of the force is approximately 400 sworn personnel, including officers, sergeants, lieutenants, deputy chiefs, and field chiefs. At the end of the 2002 federal fiscal year, 52 of the Mint Police's officers were stationed in Washington. Each field location has a detective at lieutenant's pay, while headquarters in Washington has three lieutenants assigned to the Economic Crimes Unit (ECU). The ECU investigates financial crimes against the Mint; handles internal affairs investigations, and functions as a liaison with other law enforcement agencies. In addition, a training lieutenant is assigned to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) at Glynco, Georgia, and each field location in order to coordinate all required training for that duty station. The department received the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial's Distinguished Service Award in 2001.

The U.S. Mint field offices have special response teams consisting of officers who volunteer for special weapons and tactics training and then train on a regular and recurring basis, often with other law enforcement agencies.

Among the types of incidents Mint Police routinely handle are credit card fraud, check fraud, internal theft, security threats, and computer crimes. The Mint Police assist other agencies during major events, such as presidential inaugurations. During the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, 60 to 70 Mint Police personnel assisted the U.S. Secret Service in securing the venue. Unlike most other federal police agencies, the Mint Police do not divulge the annual number of incidents its personnel handle or the number of investigations they conduct.

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