Massachusetts State Police

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The Massachusetts State Police (MSP) is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety responsible for criminal law enforcement and traffic vehicle regulation across the state. At present, it has approximately 2,500 officers and 400 civilian support staff -- making it the largest police agency in the state -- and is headed by Colonel Mark Delaney. Its headquarters are located in Framingham, Massachusetts. Locals sometimes refer to the Massachusetts State Police as "Staties."

Contents

[edit] History

MSP patch
MSP patch

The MSP was founded in 1865, making it the oldest state-wide police agency in the United States. The agency remained small and rather informal until 1921, when the MSP was enlarged to comprise 50 officers stationed in barracks across the state with the primary mission of providing law enforcement to rural areas underserved by existing local police agencies. The MSP enlarged its mission to handle primary vehicular regulation on the Commonwealth's interstate and limited-access highways after their development mid-century; during this period, it also established a presence in protecting Logan International Airport.

For much of the twentieth century, the MSP was organized along militaristic lines with a heavy emphasis on the role of the barracks, Spartan working conditions, and a uniformity in appearance and internal culture. Until recently, the MSP maintained one of the strictest regimens for physical size requirements for applicants. Efforts are being made presently to render the department more racially diverse, as well as more inclusive of women and GLBT officers.

The history of the agency is being researched and preserved for the 2010 opening of the Massachusetts State Police Museum and Learning Center. The museum is being made possible by funding of MSP troopers and employees. The museum will be located at the site of the former Troop C2 barracks in Grafton. There is currently a temporary museum at the barracks until construction is completed. Planned exhibits for the museum are

  • Restored 1931, 1941, 1951 Ford Cruisers
  • Motorcycles, including a 1963 Harley Davidson
  • State Police Weapons (past & present)
  • Historical uniforms, hats and artifacts
  • Harvard riot photos and riot equipment
  • Mounted police equipment and other Equine related items
  • Original teletype machine
  • The first computer used by the State Police department
  • Historic daily station logs
  • President John F. Kennedy photos and memorabilia
  • Nostalgic badges and patches

[edit] Merger of Police Agencies Under State Control

In 1992, the former Massachusetts Department of Public Safety - Division of State Police, Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles Police, Massachusetts Capitol Police, and Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) Police (commonly known as the Metropolitan Police) departments merged to form what is currently known as the Department of State Police (an agency within the Executive Office of Public Safety, which is different from the Department of Public Safety). The four former agencies officially ceased to exist on July 1, 1992. After discussions regarding the uniform for the new agency, it was decided that the distinctive uniform and seal of the former Division of State Police would be retained by the newly formed Department of State Police. The ranks of Corporal and Staff Sergeant were not carried over into the new agency. With the merger, many officers from local police departments and members of the original Division of State Police referred to themselves as "RT"'s (Real Troopers) the new state troopers from the other agencies as "NRT"'s (Not Real Troopers).

The Massachusetts Environmental Police remain a separate entity under the Division of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Environmental Law Enforcement, which is under the auspices of the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.

As of late, there have been rumors of the State police merging with the MBTA Transit Police.

[edit] Training

MSP police car
MSP police car

Recruit and in-service training for the Massachusetts State Police takes place at the MSP academy located centrally in Massachusetts at 340 West Brookfield Rd. in New Braintree. Prior to the 1992 merger, the Division of State Police's Training Academy was located in Framingham, Massachusetts. This facility now houses the Department of State Police General Headquarters.

Becoming a Trooper is an extremely competitive process. Approximately 14,000 men and women took the written entrance exam in June of 2002. Out of that, only a few hundred were selected to become members of the MSP. After receiving a conditional job offer, the recruit then has to make it through twenty-five weeks of strict paramilitary training as part of a Recruit Training Troop (RTT).

During the twenty-five weeks of training the recruit lives at the academy Monday through Friday. Their day starts early at 5:30 and goes right until 8 p.m. with lights out around 9:30. The recruits attend over ninety-eight academic classes and must pass ten cumulative exams with a passing score of seventy percent. Along with classes, recruits have to take part in daily physical regimens such as running and weight lifting.

The academy takes a toll both mentally and physically on the recruit and many recruits do not make it through. To give an example, when the 77th RTT started in November of 2004 there were 180 recruits. During the first week 44 recruits dropped out and 34 new recruits had to be added in. By the end of the twenty-five weeks only 137 graduated, earning themselves the title of Massachusetts State Trooper.

[edit] Rank Structure[1]

  • Recruit Officer
  • Probationary Trooper
  • Trooper
  • Trooper First Class
  • Sergeant
  • Lieutenant
  • Captain
  • Major
  • Lieutenant Colonel
  • Colonel / Superintendent

The rank of Trooper First Class is automatically awarded after 5 years of service at the rank of Trooper. Promotion to the ranks of Sergeant, Lieutenant, and Captain are based on varying combinations of years of service, promotional exam score, and/or performance on oral examination boards. The ranks of Detective Lieutenant and Detective Captain are appointed; an individual must already have attained the rank of Lieutenant prior to being appointed to the rank of Detective Lieutenant and must have attained the rank of Captain prior to being appointed to the rank of Detective Captain. The rank of Major and Lieutenant Colonel are appointed by the Colonel / Superintendent. The Deputy Superintendent holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. The Colonel / Superintendent is appointed by the Governor of the Commonwealth.

[edit] Special units

Part of the Marine Section's fleet, moored at its base on the Charles River in Boston.
Part of the Marine Section's fleet, moored at its base on the Charles River in Boston.

Like many other large law enforcement agencies, the MSP has developed several component specialized units designed to meet the agency's expanding role in policing Massachusetts. These special units include:

  • MSP S.T.O.P. (Special Tactics and Operations) Team: Serves as the agency's SWAT squad
  • MSP K-9 Unit: The MSP's K-9 unit deploys approximately 75 highly trained canines to agencies throughout New England for search and rescue, criminal apprehension, narcotics detection, crowd control, missing persons searches, cadaver recovery searches, site security, arson detection, explosive detection, and other missions. Depending on specific mission requirements, members of the canine unit would work in support of, or in conjunction with, other specialized units including the Air Wing, STOP team, Marine Unit, Dive Team, SERT team and SIU. Their services are available upon request, without cost to the requesting agency.
  • MSP S.E.R.T. (Special Emergency Response Team) Team: Serves as a requestable adjunct to local law enforcement agencies requesting state assistance in civil disturbances, special events, or missing persons searches
  • MSP Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section
  • Governor's Auto Theft Task Force
  • MSP Incident Management Assistance Team & Civilian Search and Rescue
  • MSP Underwater Recovery Team
  • MSP Marine Section: The MSP's river patrol on the Charles and Mystic Rivers
  • MSP Air Wing Section: The MSP's Helicopter Unit. The State Police Air Wing has provided the Commonwealth and its network of first responders with airborne support for over three decades. It is the largest and most comprehensive full time public safety aviation unit in New England. Aircrews stand ready to respond from three strategically located Air Bases within the state 365 days a year.
  • MSP Motorcycle Unit
  • MSP Mounted Unit
  • MSP Crime Laboratory Unit
  • MSP C.S.S.S. (Crime Scene Services Section)
  • MSP S.I.U (Special Investigation Unit): Used to investigate and disrupt organized crime in the Massachusetts area. It achieves this mainly through standard police investigation, surveillance of suspects, utilizing informants and infiltrating undercover officers into criminal organizations. The unit is known to work in cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Investigations' Boston field office and other state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Boston Police Departments' Bureau of Investigative Services. When making high profile/risk arrests the unit will draw on the expertise of the Special Tactics and Operations team. The unit has been effective against the New England based Patriarca crime family, a part of the Sicilian Mafia, and the Winter Hill Gang of the Irish mob.
  • MSP C.A.R.S. (Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section):The section provides reconstruction services to local and state police agencies for collisions involving fatalities or serious bodily injuries. Collision reconstruction specialists are available "24-7-365.25", with no charge to the requesting agency.The section responds to calls for assistance in the investigation of fatal or serious bodily injury collisions. C.A.R.S. conducts "at scene" investigations, measuring the scene using the Topcon Total Station, photogrammetry, or graduated tapes. The collision vehicles are examined for mechanical defects and the damage is documented. Data stored by the Crash Data Recorder (CDR) is secured and analyzed, as each member is a Crash Data Technician and Analyst. Mathematical analysis of the data is performed when necessary. Scale diagrams and plates are produced as required, and a detailed reconstruction report is written. Expert testimony is provided by members in both civil and criminal actions. The section also provides detailed, scale mapping of large outdoor crime scenes, and assists agencies with routine mathematical analysis or vehicle examinations.The section is comprised of seven sergeants and seventeen troopers, all of whom are active collision reconstructionists. The members of the section are accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Traffic Accident Reconstruction (ACTAR), or are currently pursuing accreditation. The members also maintain memberships in many professional associations, such as the National Association of Professional Accident Reconstruction Specialists (NAPARS). The members, on average, handle approximately 30 cases each per year. They are further required to attain at least 40 hours of additional education/training per year.

[edit] Demographics

  • Male: 91%
  • Female: 9%
  • White: 89%
  • African-American/Black: 11%

Link

Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 2000: Data for Individual State and Local Agencies with 100 or More Officers

The MSP is one of the few State Police Departments in the US where the percentage of African American officers (11%) is significantly greater than that of the state population (6.97%).

[edit] MSP in popular culture

  • Ben Benson's series of novels featuring Massachusetts State Troopers such as high ranking detective Wade Paris and rookie cop Ralph Lindsey, appearing mostly in the 1950's, were among the earliest examples of police procedurals.
  • The Robert B. Parker character Spenser is said to have been with the MSP, specifically as a detective with the Suffolk County District Attorney's office. He frequently interacts with an MSP homicide detective named Captain Healy (who also appears in the Jesse Stone novels) and worked with an MSP trooper named Nate Lundquist in the novel Pale Kings and Princes.
  • The Massachusetts State Police are mentioned finding the body of Hank Schillinger on an episode of the HBO drama Oz.
  • MSP personnel and vehicles have been seen in the background in episodes of Crossing Jordan.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Related

Defunct Massachusetts Police Agencies

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