A project of LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute

Washington at a glance

Population by race and Hispanic origin

Cities in this database with the most similarly-sized populations

Full-time law enforcement staff, Metropolitan Police Department

  • 3,276 Officers
  • 693 Civilian staff

Full-time law enforcement officers per 1,000 residents

  • 2.4 National average, cities with 250,000+ population
  • 2.2 National average

Federal grant funding for Washington

Data was last updated March 24, 2026

We identified over $454.9M in federal grant funding, FY 2016-2026

This city uses an expanded search query and may return additional results compared to other locations. Learn more

Grant funding over time

Grant funding by federal department

Recent grants

USA spending grants for: Washington
Amount Start and end dates Recipient and description Awarding agency CFDA program Type
$29,633,271.00 10/1/2025
8/31/2028		 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA GOVERNMENT HOMELAND SECURITY GRANT PROGRAM Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency 97.067 Homeland Security Grant Program Prime
$800,000.00 10/1/2024
9/30/2027		 GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA THE METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT (MPD) PROPOSES THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN EVIDENCE-BASED TRAINING IN CRISIS INTERVENTION AND DE-ESCALATION TECHNIQUES, FOCUSING ON INTERACTIONS WITH PERSONS WHO EXPERIENCE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH (BH) AND/OR INTELLECTUAL/DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS (I/DD). THE TRAINING WILL INCO… Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs 16.738 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program Prime
$500,000.00 10/1/2024
9/30/2026		 GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA THE APPLICANT, THE WASHINGTON D.C. METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT (MPD), IS REQUESTING FUNDING TO ESTABLISH A CRIME GUN INTELLIGENCE FUNCTION WITHIN ITS OFFICE OF CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE. THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROPOSAL ARE TO: INCREASE THE CAPACITY OF THE OFFICE OF CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE TO PREVENT A… Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs 16.738 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program Prime
$89,033.00 10/1/2024
9/30/2027		 DC OFFICE OF VICTIM SERVICES THE OFFICE OF VICTIM SERVICES AND JUSTICE GRANTS (OVSJG), IN COLLABORATION WITH THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE (USAODC), IS THE PROJECT SAFE NEIGHBORHOOD (PSN) TASK FORCE'S FISCAL AGENT AND PASS-THROUGH ENTITY FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA (DISTRICT) TO IMPLEMENT THE DISTRICT'S PSN STRATEGY. TH… Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs 16.609 Project Safe Neighborhoods Prime

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Military equipment transfers

We were unable to locate any military equipment transfers for this location using the LESO Property Transferred to Participating Agencies database published by the Defense Logistics Agency. It is possible that this location has acquired military equipment for policing via other sources or programs.

Local police misconduct data, consent decrees, and settlements

Data last updated November 18, 2025

Settlements

We identified 3 publicly reported settlements that resulted in policy changes and $32,100,000.00 in monetary compensation to victims.

Settlements
Year Description Outcome
2022

In response to four different lawsuits related to public demonstrations in June 2020, the Biden Administration has settled some legal claims and agreed to implement changes to the U.S. Park Police and Secret Service policies related to public demonstrations.

The lawsuits resulted from incidents where the U.S. Park Police and other federal and local law enforcement violently forced hundreds of protestors to disperse using chemical irritants, rubber bullets, smoke bombs, and batons, during a Black Lives Matter and racial justice demonstration. The Biden Administration has agreed to implement several new policies, including a policy that states that demonstration permits cannot be revoked by the Park Police unless the protestors are presenting a danger to public safety.

Source

Gregg Kelley, "In Partial Settlement of Civil Rights Suits on Behalf of Demonstrators Attacked at Lafayette Square by Trump Administration, Federal Government Agrees to Change Demonstration Policing Policies", For Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, April 13, 2022

Policy changes
2021

D.C. will pay $1.6 million to settle two lawsuits that alleged the D.C. police department engaged in false arrests, excessive force, and unlawful conditions of confinement for those arrested during demonstrations on Inauguration Day in 2017.

More than 100 protestors alleged that police officers used excessive force such as chemical irritants, batons, and grenades when handling demonstrators.

Source

Colleen Grablick, "D.C. To Pay $1.6M in Police Misconduct Lawsuit Filed After 2017 Inauguration Protests", NPR, April 26, 2021

Compensation
$1,600,000.00
2010 - 2014

Between 2010 and 2014, the District of Columbia spent $30.5 million on police misconduct cases.

In 2015, The Wall Street Journal released an analysis of settlement totals from instances of police misconduct among the ten largest local police departments in the nation. Many of the cases involved in the analysis involved alleged beatings, shootings, and wrongful imprisonment. The analysis determined that, between 2010 and 2014, the District of Columbia spent $30.5 million on police misconduct cases. A separate analysis conducted by The Washington Post determined that the city spent $31.6 million between 2005 and 2016 on court judgments or settlements in 173 cases alleging police misconduct.

Sources

Zusha Elinson and Dan Frosch, "Cost of Police-Misconduct Cases Soars in Big U.S. Cities", Wall Street Journal, July 15, 2015

Theresa Vargas and Kimbriell Kelly, "‘It made me hate the police’: Ugly encounters with officers fuel loss of trust, costly payouts", Washington Post, January 07, 2017

Compensation
$30,500,000.00