Seventh District Commander James Boteler
James Boteler has served as commander of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Seventh Police District since November 2024, when he was appointed to the position by Chief of Police Pamela A. Smith.
Boteler began his MPD career in 2002 as a patrol officer in the Seventh District. Though new to MPD, he was already a law enforcement veteran, having worked as a sheriff’s deputy in the State of Maryland for two years before joining MPD.
From 2004 to 2010, Boteler was assigned to the former Narcotics and Special Investigations Division (NSID), where he rose from officer to detective while working on various MPD partnerships with various federal agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as well as the division’s Narcotics Strike Force, Homicide Prevention Project, and Gun Recovery Unit.
Promoted to sergeant and assigned to the Third District in 2010, Boteler worked in the Vice Unit and supervised the 3D Crime Suppression Team. Following promotion to lieutenant, he returned to NSID in 2015 to manage members of the Electronic Surveillance Unit, the Criminal Interdiction Unit, and the Criminal Apprehension Unit. Promoted to captain in 2018 and assigned to the Seventh District, Boteler served as the administrative manager responsible for oversight and execution of 7D’s day-to-day operations and management of its Specialized Units and Special Projects. He also served as the Washington Highlands Summer Crime Prevention Initiative captain in 2018, 2019 and 2020, and as the Fall Crime Prevention Initiative captain in 2019.
Boteler was promoted to inspector in 2021 and assigned to the Fourth District, and to Third District commander in 2022. He took leadership of the Seventh District in November 2024.
Boteler’s many awards and commendations include MPD’s 2013 Sergeant of the Year Award, 2019 Captain of the Year Award, and several Unit of the Year awards. He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminology from the University of Maryland, College Park.