Ralph Ennis began his with the Metropolitan Police Department as a recruit officer in 1994. He quickly rose through the ranks, achieving the rank of sergeant in 1999 and lieutenant in 2001, and captain in January 2007. He was appointed as Chief Lanier’s chief of staff in 2007 and promoted to the rank of inspector, then commander. In his role as commander, he was responsible for the Tactical Information and Intelligence Division where he oversaw criminal intelligence, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, and MPD’s CCTV and Shotspotter programs, the Command Information Center, and the Joint Operations Command Center. Commander Ennis served in the Executive Office of the Chief of Police where he served under Chief Lanier’s direction until her departure in September of 2016. Commander Ralph Ennis oversaw the establishment of the Tactical Information Division, a new division of the department tasked with overseeing all IT functions for the agency.
Ennis served as director in the Metropolitan Police Department’s Office of Risk Management in the Executive Office of the Chief of Police from May - September 2017. The Office of Risk Management is the primary liaison with the DC ORM for OSHA inspectors that also conducts special investigations, provides ethics reviews, and processes and analyzes all civil claims.
Ralph Ennis served as commander of the Metropolitan Police Academy until December 2021, when he transitioned to the Homeland Security Bureau.
Throughout his career, Ralph Ennis has served in a variety of assignments, including the Seventh and First Districts as a patrol officer, and the Fourth District and Internal Affairs as a sergeant. As a lieutenant, he worked in the Fourth District’s Special Operations Division, Office of Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, and the Executive Office of the Chief of Police. While working in the Special Operations Division, Commander Ennis closely assisted with the implementation and planning of numerous complex details, demonstrations, and Presidential Inaugurations.
He holds numerous certifications in Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive response and is a credentialed member of the National Capital Region Type III incident Management Team. Commander Ennis is a veteran of the United States Air Force where he was a Security Police Officer with a specialty in law enforcement. He served in the Pacific Theater.
Ralph Ennis retired from the Metropolitan Police Department in March 2023.