 Officers of the Municipal Protective Services still hold arrest powers as Special Police Officers but the vast majority of law enforcement activity previously handled by the Boston Municipal Police is now the responsibility of the Boston Police Department.This is the former statewide police department for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which was founded in 1865; the M.D.C. Police, Registry of Motor Vehicles Police, and Capitol Police merged with this department to form the new Department of State Police in 1992.Prior to being known as the Massachusetts State Police, the department was known as the Special District Police of Massachusetts from 1879 to 1919.