State police

United States

See also: List of U.S. state law enforcement agencies

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In the United States, state police are a police body unique to each U.S. state, having statewide authority to conduct law enforcement activities and criminal investigations. In general, they perform functions outside the normal purview of the city police or the county sheriff, such as enforcing traffic laws on state highways and interstate expressways, overseeing the security of the state capitol complex, protecting the governor, training new officers for local police forces too small to operate an academy, providing technological and scientific support services, and helping to coordinate multi-jurisdictional task force activity in serious or complicated cases.

Related Topics:
United States - Police - Sheriff - Traffic - State highway - Interstate

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Twenty-three U.S. states actually call their state police by the term "State Police." In this case state police are general-power law enforcement officers with statewide jurisdiction, who conduct patrols and respond to calls for service and perform all the other aforementioned duties. Such states include Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Indiana, New Mexico, New York, Illinois, Maryland, Virginia, Iowa, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Kentucky, West Virginia, etc.

Related Topics:
Pennsylvania - New Jersey - Indiana - New Mexico - New York - Illinois - Maryland - Virginia - Iowa - Connecticut - Massachusetts - Kentucky - West Virginia

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In other states the state police are limited function agencies called Highway patrols, State Bureaus of Investigation, etc. These agencies tend to be brought together under a state Department of Public Safety or may be under several agencies, such as the Highway Patrol being under the state Department of Transportation.

Related Topics:
Highway patrol - State Bureaus of Investigation - Department of Public Safety

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State police agencies exist in some form in most U.S. states and territories. They have emerged at various times in the history of each particular state, alternately evolving from corps of mounted rangers (the term trooper coming from cavalry parlance) or being newly established as a fully motorized highway patrol.

Related Topics:
Rangers - Cavalry

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