Colorado State Patrol

Colorado State Patrol
Abbreviation CSP
Patch of the Colorado State Patrol.
Logo of the Colorado State Patrol.
Badge of the Colorado State Patrol.
Agency overview
Formed September 23, 1935
Preceding agency Colorado State Highway Courtesy Patrol
Employees 936 (as of 2004)[1]
Legal personality Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction* State of Colorado, USA
Colorado State Police Districts
Size 104,185 square miles (269,840 km2)
Population 4,861,515 (2007 est.)[2]
General nature
Operational structure
Headquarters Lakewood, Colorado
Troopers 681 (as of 2004)[1]
Civilians 255 (as of 2004)[1]
Agency executive Colonel Scott Hernandez, Chief
Parent agency Colorado Department of Public Safety
Facilities
Districts 6
Website
http://csp.state.co.us/
Footnotes
* Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction.

The Colorado State Patrol (originally known as the Colorado State Highway Courtesy Patrol), based in Lakewood, Colorado, is a division of the Colorado Department of Public Safety, and is one of the official state police agencies of Colorado, along with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and several smaller state agencies. The Colorado State Patrol primarily enforces traffic laws on state highways, guards the state capitol and the governor of Colorado and has statewide general law enforcement jurisdiction.

History

Founded in 1935 with only 44 men, it was one of only four law enforcement agencies serving in Colorado at the time. Since two-way radios weren't installed until 1949, officers usually received calls by visiting local gas stations. After dispatchers telephoned the station, the attendant would then place a red flag along the roadway, which would alert the officers to the call.

The patrol was met with opposition from the public when it was formed, as well as from other law enforcement agencies, who thought the patrol would endanger their jurisdiction. Therefore, Colorado legislature carefully outlined the duties of the agency in the Patrol Act, which states that "it shall be their duty to promote safety, protect human life and preserve the highways of Colorado by the intelligent, courteous, and strict enforcement of the laws and regulation of this state relating to highways." This became the motto of the Colorado State Patrol.

Weapons

Until the switch to auto-loading semi-automatic pistols, The CSP carried blue-steel, 4 inch barreled Colt Python revolvers. CSP troopers now carry the Smith & Wesson M&P .40.[3] Additionally, all troopers are issued a Remington 870 shotgun and are given the option to carry either a department or personally owned M-14 or AR-15 select fire rifle.

Less-Lethal Weapons

All Troopers are issued an ASP baton and OC. In 2012 the CSP began training and issuing its troopers tasers. The Colorado State Patrol also issues take home cars to its troopers.

Goals and Mission of the CSP

Strategic Goals

Mission


Rank Structure

Commissioned Officers

The Colorado State Patrol headquarters is located in a nondescript building in Lakewood, Colorado.
Rank Insignia Description
Colonel
Chief of the Patrol
Lieutenant Colonel
Region Commander
Major
District/Branch Commander
Captain
Troop/Section Commander

Non-Commissioned Officers

Rank Insignia
Sergeant Major
Master Sergeant
Sergeant
Corporal
Master Trooper and
Technician
Trooper

Special programs

Colorado State Patrol car

Alive at 25

A community program designed to impact the future of traffic safety, Alive at 25 focuses educational effort to youths between the ages of 14 and 25. Its emphasis is to identify and eliminate at-risk driving behavior.

Seat Belt Survivor Program

Since the CSP recognizes that seat belts are an important means of preventing injury or death in automobile accidents, this program exists to identify and recognize motorists who have survived a potentially fatal or serious-injury crash through the use of seat belts.

Specialty Units

Fallen officers

Since the establishment of the Colorado State Patrol, 24 officers have died in the line of duty.[4] The most recent being Trooper Zachariah Templeton, who was struck by a vehicle on I-76 on October 11, 2007, while helping a man load plastic water containers that had fallen off of his trailer. He died the next day. Another trooper, Trooper Scott Hinshaw was seriously injured. Trooper Hinshaw had just gotten off the phone with his wife and was looking forward to his anniversary that night. Trooper Templeton is survived by his young daughter. The Colorado State Patrol Family Foundation (www.cspff.net) is the 501 (c) 3 non profit and benevolent fund tied into the Colorado State Patrol's employees who are members of the Association of Colorado State Patrol Professionals (www.acspp.net).

The most well-known death of a Colorado State Trooper is that of Trooper Jason Lee Manspeaker on January 23, 2001. Trooper Manspeaker was investigating a possible sighting of the 'Texas Seven' when he was involved in a fatal automobile accident. The 'Texas Seven' were responsible for the death of Officer Aubrey Wright Hawkins of the Irving, Texas Police Department

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 USDOJ Statistics
  2. ↑ 2007 Population Estimates
  3. ↑ "Smith & Wesson Receives Order from Colorado State Patrol". The Outdoor Wire. 2008-01-29. Retrieved 2012-07-13.
  4. ↑ "The Officer Down Memorial Page". Odmp.org. Retrieved 2012-07-13.

External links