Mississippi Highway Patrol

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The Mississippi Highway Patrol is the highway patrol agency for Mississippi, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state. It was created to protect the lives, property and constitutional rights of people in Mississippi.

Contents 1 Brief History 2 The Academy 3 The Organization 4 The Pistol Team 5 See also 6 External link

[edit] Brief History

The Mississippi Highway Patrol was created in 1938. Troopers first patrolled the highways on motorcycles. If a Trooper stopped a motorists who was driving drunk, he would arrest the violator, then drive the violators vehicle to the Sheriffs office where the violator would be charged with driving under the influence. The Trooper would then hitch a ride back to his motorcycle. The original uniform worn by the first Mississippi troopers was a gray shirt with navy blue lapels trimmed with gold. The shirt had a MHP patch on each arm which was very similar to the patch worn today, except it was blue and gold instead of blue and red. The pants were blue with a darker navy blue stripe down the leg bordered by gold piping. The uniform was changed in the 1960's. Red piping replaced gold for the shirt lapels as well as the pants leg for all Troopers holding the rank of Captain and below. This led to the nickname “Red Leg” given to Mississippi Troopers, signifying that they are not upper echelon administrative employees, but rather “Road Men”. Troopers who worked enforcement on the highways. As years passed, the patrol phased out the motorcycle for the automobile. The 60's were a turbulent time of change for all of America and Mississippi was no different. Although common consensus believes this was mainly a negative time in Mississippi history, the Mississippi Highway Patrol was the center of many positive aspects during this period. During the 1966 Meredith Mississippi March for Freedom which registered over 3000 African Americans to vote in Mississippi, The Mississippi Highway Patrol escorted thousands of civil rights activists from Memphis TN to Jackson MS. Leaders of major civil rights organizations, Dr. Martin Luther King of the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference), Floyd McKissick of CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) and Stokely Carmichael of SNCC (Student Non-Violent Co-ordinating Committee) attended the protest. Well guarded by the Mississippi Highway Patrol, the marchers were not attacked on their main route. The March concluded on June 26 with a rally of 15,000 people in Jackson, while over a thousand officers in the Mississippi Highway Patrol, National Guard, and local law enforcement agencies guarded the capital building.

In 2003 the Mississippi Highway Patrol appointed L.M. Claiborne to become the first African American Colonel of the Mississippi Highway Patrol. Colonel Claiborne began his career with the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol in December 1980, as a Trooper assigned to Troop H, Louisville, Mississippi. He was promoted to the rank of Trooper First Class in December 1985 and in December 1987 to the rank of Staff Sergeant assigned as the Accident Reconstructionist in Troops H and G. In March 1989, Colonel Claiborne was among the first Highway Patrol Officers to attend training for and become a Crime Scene Investigator with the rank of Sergeant First Class. Claiborne was then promoted to Captain over the training division where he served until his promotion to Colonel.

[edit] The Academy

Today the Mississippi Highway Patrol is a beacon of professionalism and integrity for all of law enforcement in the state of Mississippi. Entry into the ranks of the Mississippi Highway Patrol depends upon the completion of a 18 to 20 week para-military academy. A typical class begins with over 500 applicants, starts with 100 cadets and graduates less than 50 Troopers. Criteria of the academy includes academics and law, EVOC, first aid, vigerious physical training, boxing, ground fighting, and advanced officer survival. Extreme pressure is placed on each cadet to test his or her will to “Never Quit”. The philosophy being, if you quit in patrol school when under pressure, you will quit on the highway when under pressure. In the academy if you quit, you go home. On the highway if you quit, you go to the grave. A large sign in the classroom reads, “The more you sweat here, the less you bleed on the highway”. Cadets attend the academy at Pearl MS, and live on the academy grounds forbidden from any contact outside of the facility. Weekend leave is permissible upon completion of all academic and physical requirements. Weekend leave may be canceled at any time at the request of the academy staff. Upon graduation of the academy, new Troopers are assigned to various counties around the state according to the needs of the Highway Patrol. The state employees an average of 550 Troopers state wide.

[edit] The Organization

The Mississippi Highway Patrol falls under the Department of Public Safety. The Governor of Mississippi appoints a Commissioner of Public Safety and a Colonel of the Mississippi Highway Patrol. The Colonel is the highest ranking member of the Patrol. A Lt. Col. Serves as Chief of Patrol and also acts as a right hand man of the Colonel. In the military, his position would be very similar to an executive officer. The state is divided into three regions, northern, southern and central. These regions are under the command of a Major and contain three districts. Each district is commanded by a Captain and assisted by a Lieutenant and four Master Sergeants. Each district contains around 8 to 10 counties which are patrolled by the assigned Troopers. The ranks of Sergeant, Corporal, and Trooper First Class follow the M Sgt.'s in the chain of command but have no authority delegated to the rank. These three ranks are obtained after four years of service and after successful completion of a test given for each rank. A Sergeant in the Mississippi Highway Patrol would have 12 years of experience with the department. The ranks of M Sgt and above are decided by a written test and personal interview in front of a board of Troopers of various ranks. The highest combined score determines which troopers are promoted. The ranks of Staff Sergeant and Sergeant First Class are given to troopers who are specialists in a certain skill or department. For instance, A Trooper trained in accident reconstruction would be given the rank of S Sgt.

Various departments exists within the patrol. The drivers license division is charged with the responsibility of testing and issuing drivers licenses to the residence of Mississippi. The patrol also boasts a highly trained SWAT team which responds to incidents all over the state. Many rural police and sheriff departments around the state do not have the means to equip a SWAT team to handle extremely dangerous situations. The MHP SWAT team will handle any situation state wide. The patrol also maintains a Special Operations Group, or SOG team, which contains around 80 troopers from all 9 districts. The SOG team responds to civil disturbances, prison/jail uprisings, hurricane disasters, or any emergency situation which would require more manpower than the SWAT team could provide. The SOG team is capable of deploying up to 2 to 3 weeks with 100 troopers without being resupplied. The patrol also equips an 18 man motorcycle traffic enforcement team known as the A-TEAM. This stands for Aggressive Traffic Enforcement And Motorcycles. The A-TEAM will deploy to various counties in the state which have a high accident or fatality rate and strictly enforce the traffic laws. The A-TEAM will also provide escorts for VIP's and special events. The A-TEAM is equipped with Harley Davidson police package motorcycles. Other departments include a drug interdiction team, a motor carrier division, an accident reconstruction team, an honor guard detail, and a training division.

[edit] The Pistol Team

The Mississippi Highway Patrol is represented proudly by its world class pistol team. Led by Lt. Philip Hemphill, the pistol team has won numerous competitions around the country. The MHP pistol team's domination of the National Police Shooters Competition is unequaled. From the competitions beginning in 1962 to 2006, The Mississippi Highway Patrol has won the team competition more times than any other department in the nation with 10 wins. It is followed by the Los Angles Police Department and US Border Patrol both with 9 wins. In 2006 Lt. Hemphill set a record, winning the National Police Shooter Competition as the overall champion for the 8th time. The event drew more than 330 competitors, including officers from Germany, Russia, Canada, Venezuela and the Czech Republic. (57)

[edit] See also

• List of law enforcement agencies in Mississippi

[edit] External link

• [1]

v • d • e State Police/Highway Patrol in the United States
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