Michigan State Police
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Michigan State Police | |
| Abbreviation | MSP |
 |
|
| Patch of the Michigan State Police. | |
 |
|
| Michigan State Police Door Seal | |
 |
|
| Badge of the Michigan State Police. | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | April 19, 1917 |
| Employees | 2,596 (as of 11/09) |
| Annual budget | $527,300,000.00 (2009-10) |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | State of Michigan, USA |
 |
|
| Map of Michigan State Police's jurisdiction. | |
| Size | 97,990 square miles |
| Population | 10,071,822 (2007 est.)[1] |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Lansing, Michigan |
| Troopers | 1,730 (as of 11/09) |
| Civilians | 866 (as of 11/09) |
| Agency executive | Colonel Peter C. Munoz, Director |
| Districts | 7 |
| Facilities | |
| Posts | 63 |
| Website | |
| http://www.michigan.gov/msp/ | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The Michigan State Police (MSP) is the state police agency for the State of Michigan. The department was founded in 1917 as a war-time constabulary and eventually evolved into the modern agency that it is today. The department's enlisted members are called Troopers. The department had 1,730 sworn members as of November 2009. It has its headquarters in East Lansing.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Cutbacks
In 2009, the number of Michigan State Troopers was being reduced to just over 1000 because of budget cuts from the over 1800 Trooper level of 2005.
[edit] History
The Michigan Department of State Police began as a temporary, wartime emergency force for the purpose of domestic security during World War I. On April 19, 1917, Governor Albert Sleeper created the Michigan State Troops Permanent Force, (also known as the Michigan State Constabulary). With Colonel Roy C. Vandercook as the first commanding officer, this new force consisted of five Troops of mounted, dismounted and motorized units, totaling 300 men. On March 26, 1919, Public Act 26 reorganized the Constabulary as the permanent, peace-time Michigan State Police.
Throughout the history of the department, its members have participated in many important events. Some of the earliest duties of the department involved its troopers being dispatched on horseback to the iron-rich regions of the state's Upper Peninsula to guarantee the mining and distribution of the vital ore. In the mid 1970's Michigan Governor William G. Milliken gave the Michigan State Police a permanent presence on Detroit area freeways which culminated in the opening of the Detroit Freeway post in Downtown Detroit. This action was taken after a rash of crimes on the Detroit area freeway system and local law enforcement had limited resources in doing expressway patrols on a regular basis. MSP troopers were deployed in Benton Harbor in the summer of 2003 to quell civil unrest that was occurring within that city. Troopers were also deployed to Louisiana in September 2005 following Hurricane Katrina to assist local authorities with search and rescue, law enforcement, and humanitarian efforts in the devastated city of New Orleans, Louisiana. In January and February 2006, the Michigan State Police deployed several hundred Troopers to Detroit during Super Bowl XL and worked with local and federal agencies to ensure a safe environment for the game and its related festivities. The summer of 2007 saw a major mobilzation of departmental resources for the National Governors' Conference in Traverse City. The state police were also requested to assist local police agencies with patrol support in the cities of Flint and Saginaw; a similar request was made in February 2008 by the city of Pontiac after budget difficulties forced the cash-strapped city to layoff many police officers.
[edit] Duties
Troopers with the Michigan State Police are entrusted with the authority to conduct investigations concerning violations of criminal and traffic statutes throughout the state, regardless of city, township, or county boundaries.
With the exception of traffic enforcement, in communities that already have a police presence, the Michigan State Police typically decline to respond to citizen calls.
[edit] Divisions
The MSP consists of three bureaus encompassing many different divisions:
The Field Services Bureau consists of two regions that include seven districts encompassing sixty-three posts, seven detachments, and eight resident trooper concepts. Also included in the bureau are the Criminal Investigation Division, Intelligence Section, Special Operations Division, and the Traffic Safety Division. The Traffic Safety Division is responsible for the enforcement of laws and regulations pertaining to commercial motor vehicles. The Special Operations Division includes support services such as the Aviation Unit, Canine Unit, Underwater Recovery Unit, and the Emergency Support Team. Of all the department's Bureaus, it is the personnel of the Field Services Bureau that citizens most often encounter.
The Administrative Services Bureau consists of the Training Division and the Criminal Justice Information Center, as well as other internal support functions for the department.
Key among the divisions in the State Services Bureau consists is the Forensic Science Division, which is composed of seven laboratories. State-of-the-art forensic laboratory services, including crime scene and 'post-blast' investigations, drug analysis, document examination, polygraph testing, latent print examination, latent print examination, AFIS, DNA analysis, toxicology analysis, blood/alcohol analysis, firearms and toolmark examination, arson evidence analysis, and serology and trace evidence analysis are provided to all Michigan law enforcement agencies at no cost.
The Executive Division exists to provide administrative support to the Director by providing information for executive-level decision making, supporting agency-wide strategic planning, representing the Director outside the agency, developing and disseminating department policy, formulating agency positions on public policy issues, media relations, and ensuring high standards of organizational effectiveness and individual professionalism. The executive division also contains the Governor's Security Detail.
[edit] Patrol Vehicles
The familiar blue MSP Patrol Car is referred to as "the blue goose" by members of the department. As of 2009, the department's fleet consists of primarily Ford Police Interceptors. However, the MSP has begun adding Dodge Charger patrol vehicles to its fleet (10 for the 2006 fiscal year). The department also utilizes the Chevrolet Tahoe for canine and motor carrier use. Several other varieties of vehicles, including Chevrolet Suburbans and Impalas, are used by the department's specialized divisions. Fully-marked patrol vehicles feature a single red overhead light that rotates when activated; however, these are being replaced by similar "gumball" housings containing red LEDs. MSP vehicles also feature a clear plastic device, referred to as a "shark fin," on the hood that lights up when activated. Patrol units also use red and blue LEDs facing to the rear of the vehicle, as well as headlight and tail light flashers.
The MSP also utilizes "slick top" patrol units for traffic enforcement. There are two types of traffic cars: the traditional blue patrol car sans the traditional "gumball" light, and a semi-marked variety that is painted in colors other than blue and marked only on the passenger side. Available in tan, red, white, silver, and black, these units also use hidden LED lights to increase their effectiveness and have been extremely successful. Michigan state law requires that police vehicles be marked at least on the passenger side; a law that dates back to the days of the "side stop."[3]
Both the rotating overhead light and the shark fin have traditionally been synonymous with the MSP. The shark fin was used for a side stop, which was employed when a Trooper was stopping another vehicle. The Trooper would pull along the driver's side of the vehicle he wished to stop and would activate the shark fin's light, alerting the other driver that he was to pull over. The side stop is no longer used by the department. The rotating red light has been used by the MSP since 1960 and the current style red overhead light has been in use by the agency since 1979. The bright red-pink hue of the light is striking and it makes the patrol car recognizable as a Michigan State Police car from several miles away. The red overhead lights on some MSP cars are 20–25 years old. Both the blue hue of the patrol cars and the red hue of the rotating overhead light are distinctive and unique to the MSP; the department has used the blue paint scheme and the current door decals since 1956.
[edit] Aviation Unit
The five aircraft in the Michigan State Police Aviation Unit are assigned several duties:
- search and rescue
- relays
- traffic enforcement
- traffic control
- security
- training
- investigative and administrative flights
[edit] Mobile Command Vehicle
The Michigan State Police operates one Mobile Command Vehicle as of 2006. The 37 foot long vehicle has an International chassis and engine and weighs 25,500 lbs. It is equipped with GPS, satellite television, a diesel electric generator, and a lavatory. The vehicle is also equipped with a variety of radio systems that allow those operating it to communicate effectively in the field. The vehicle was utilized during Hurricane Katrina relief in September 2005 and is also frequently used at large events throughout the state.
[edit] Miscellaneous information
- The department's value statement is: A PROUD tradition of SERVICE through EXCELLENCE, INTEGRITY, and COURTESY. The department requires that the emphasized words be shown in capitalized print when the statement is reproduced in any fashion.
- The department's work sites are called "Posts," much as a local police department's offices are referred to as "stations."
- As of 2009, 49 Michigan State Police officers have died in the line of duty.
- As of June 2006, the Director of the MSP was Colonel Peter C. Munoz. He was appointed to the position of Director by Governor Jennifer Granholm and was preceded by Tadarial J. Sturdivant.
- Recruits must complete an intensive twenty-week training academy prior to being confirmed as a Trooper. The militaristic, residential school is held at the MSP Training Academy in Lansing, MI.
- Authored by Inspector Phillip D. Schertzing, "Preserve, Protect, and Defend: An Illustrated History" (ISBN 1-56311-604-9) is a 416 page book that covers MSP history from 1917 until the present day.
- The State Police Budget for 2009-2010 fiscal year is 527.3 million dollars an increase of 5.5 million from the previous year.
[edit] Department rank structure
The MSP uses a paramilitary ranking system, as follows (from highest to lowest rankings):
- Colonel
- Lt. Colonel
- Major
- Captain
- Inspector
- First Lieutenant
- Lieutenant
- Sergeant
- Trooper
- Recruit
[edit] Demographics
The demographics of the Michigan State Police force:[4]
- Male: 85%
- Female: 15%
- White: 84%
- African-American/Black: 11%
- Hispanic: 3%
- Native American: 2%
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.census.gov/popest/states/NST-ann-est.html 2007 Population Estimates
- ^ "Contact MSP." Michigan State Police. Retrieved on October 29, 2009.
- ^ "Michigan Vehicle Code (excerpt)". Michigan Compiled Laws. Legislative Council, State of Michigan. http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?mcl-257-602a. Retrieved 2009-03-23. "Sec. 257.602a(1). A driver of a motor vehicle who is given by hand, voice, emergency light, or siren a visual or audible signal by a police or conservation officer, acting in the lawful performance of his or her duty, directing the driver to bring his or her motor vehicle to a stop shall not willfully fail to obey that direction by increasing the speed of the motor vehicle, extinguishing the lights of the motor vehicle, or otherwise attempting to flee or elude the officer. This subsection does not apply unless the police or conservation officer giving the signal is in uniform and the officer's vehicle is identified as an official police or department of natural resources vehicle."
- ^ Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 2000: Data for Individual State and Local Agencies with 100 or More Officers
[edit] External links
- Michigan State Police (State of Michigan)
- Fallen Officers of the Michigan State Police
- MSP Guide to Services
- The Committee for the Certification of MSP Motor Carrier Officers (non-state site)
|
||||||||||||||
