Georgia State Patrol

Georgia State Patrol
Abbreviation GSP
Patch of the Georgia State Patrol.
Badge of the Georgia State Patrol.
Motto WISDOM, JUSTICE, MODERATION
Agency overview
Formed 1937
Employees 1,268 (as of 2004) [1]
Legal personality Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction* State of Georgia, USA
Georgia State Patrol Troop Map
Size 59,425 square miles (153,910 km2)
Population 9,544,750 (2007 est.)[2]
Legal jurisdiction State Wide
General nature
Operational structure
Headquarters Atlanta, Georgia
Troopers 856 (as of 2004) [3]
Civilians 412 (as of 2004) [4]
Agency executives
  • Colonel Mark W. McDonough, Commissioner
  • Lt. Colonel Russell Powell, Deputy Commissioner
Parent agency Georgia Department of Public Safety
Troops 10
Facilities
Posts 52
Website
Official Site
Footnotes
* Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction.

The Georgia Department of Public Safety was created in 1937 and oversees the day-to-day operation of the Georgia State Patrol (GSP), Capitol Police and the Motor Carrier Compliance Division (MCCD). GSP troopers investigate traffic crashes and enforce traffic and criminal laws on the state's roads. Capitol Police officers prevent and detect criminal acts, and enforce traffic regulations throughout Capitol Hill. MCCD officers conduct safety inspections of commercial motor vehicles and inspect highway shipments of hazardous materials.

Georgia State Patrol

"Wisdom, Justice and Moderation" has been the motto of the Georgia State Patrol since its inception in March 1937. It was the motoring public who first advocated the need for the Department of Public Safety. Traffic fatalities, increased crime, and a need for a larger law enforcement agency with statewide arrest powers, led Georgia lawmakers to create the State Patrol. In the summer of 1937, the first Trooper School was held at the campus of The Georgia Institute of Technology and graduated 80 Troopers. The first Headquarters for the Georgia State Patrol was founded in the Confederate Veterans' mansion on East Confederate Avenue in Atlanta, Ga. The facilities were moved to the newly constructed Headquarters Building next door in the mid-1950s. This building still houses the offices of all command staff members, personnel, supplies, motor pool/garage and the Metro-Atlanta Communications Center, or "Troop C" as it is known. Prior to the construction of the Georgia Public Safety Training Center in Forsyth, Ga, Headquarters was also the site of GSP's "Trooper School". Later in this period, driver training was conducted at the "Atlanta International Raceway", or "Atlanta Motor Speedway" as it is known today. To date, the Georgia State Patrol has graduated 95 Trooper Schools.

Since its beginnings, the Georgia State Patrol has been one of the leading law enforcement agencies in the country with regards to new technology and innovations. Georgia State Patrol was the first agency to equip all of its patrol cars with dash-mounted cameras. Each trooper on patrol in Georgia has specialized training in the Pursuit Intervention Technique (P.I.T.). This method allows Troopers to end pursuits quickly by putting the fleeing vehicle in a controlled spin.

Rank structure

Title Insignia
Commissioner
Deputy Commissioner
Major
Captain
Lieutenant
Sergeant First Class
Sergeant
Corporal
Trooper

Patrol Troops and Posts

Capitol Police

Officers with the Capitol Police Division investigate criminal incidents and traffic crashes; manage street closures for events; patrol the streets on Capitol Square and those adjacent to other state buildings; provide courtroom security for Georgia's Supreme Court and Court of Appeals; conduct security assessments and surveillance detection; and deliver personal safety training for state employees and others.

Executive Security

The Executive Security Division is, by law, responsible for two distinct functions: executive security and executive protection.

Executive Security The Executive Security Unit provides facility security for the Governor's Mansion and provides personal security for the residents.

Executive Protection Operating under the Lt. Colonel, this unit provides continual security for the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the House and their families.

Motor Carrier Compliance

The Motor Carrier Compliance Division (MCCD) performs driver and vehicle inspections of commercial motor vehicles at roadsides, inspection stations, and at carriers' terminals. The inspections range from "full" vehicle and driver inspections, which includes mechanical components, to "driver only" inspections. These may also include inspections of vehicles transporting hazardous materials.

This division consists of the following units and programs:

Fallen officers

Since the establishment of the Georgia State Patrol, 26 officers have died in the line of duty.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ USDOJ Statistics
  2. ↑ http://www.census.gov/popest/states/NST-ann-est.html 2007 Population Estimates
  3. ↑ USDOJ Statistics
  4. ↑ USDOJ Statistics
  5. ↑ "Aviation". Georgia Department of Public Safety. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  6. ↑ The Officer Down Memorial Page

External links