Texas Highway Patrol
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Texas Highway Patrol | |
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| Patch of the Texas Highway Patrol. | |
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| Texas Highway Patrol Door Seal | |
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| Badge of the Texas Highway Patrol. | |
| Agency overview | |
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| Preceding agency | Texas Highway Motor Patrol |
| Employees | 7,611 (as of 2004) [1] |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | State of Texas, USA |
| Size | 261,797 square miles (678,050 km2) |
| Population | 23,904,380 (2007 est.)[2] |
| Legal jurisdiction | Texas |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Austin, Texas |
| Troopers | 3,437 (as of 2004) [1] |
| Civilians | 4,174 (as of 2004) [1] |
| Parent agency | Texas Department of Public Safety |
| Child agency | Capitol Security Police Division |
| Districts | 18 |
| Website | |
| http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/tle/index.htm | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The Texas Highway Patrol is a division of the Texas Department of Public Safety and has the responsibility for general police traffic supervision, traffic, and criminal law enforcement on the rural highways of Texas. The Division's goal is to help maintain public safety through the efficient and effective administration of the division's various programs.
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[edit] Duties
Highway Patrol Division Troopers enforce traffic laws on rural Texas highways and perform a variety of other duties:
- Apprehend traffic law violators, investigate most rural traffic accidents, recover stolen vehicles and stolen property, apprehend wanted persons, and assist other officers during emergencies.
- Supervise the State Vehicle Inspection Program which includes inspection stations and mechanic inspectors.
- Provide education and information programs on traffic safety and crime prevention and control.
- Responsible for security at the Texas State Capitol Complex in Austin.
- Enforce laws regulating weight, registration and other regulations governing commercial carriers.
- Driver License Division Troopers license and rehabilitate Texas drivers.
- Oversee Hazardous Materials incidents
[edit] Demographics [3]
- Male: 95%
- Female: 5%
- White: 66%
- Hispanic: 22%
- African-American/Black: 11%
- Asian: 1%
[edit] Fallen officers
Since the establishment of the Texas Department of Public Safety Texas Highway Patrol, 82 officers have died in the line of duty.[4]
The causes of death are as follows:
| Cause of death | Number of deaths |
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| Automobile accident |
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| Gunfire |
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| Gunfire (Accidental) |
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| Heart attack |
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| Motorcycle accident |
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| Struck by train |
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| Struck by vehicle |
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| Training accident |
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| Vehicle pursuit |
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| Vehicular assault |
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| Weather/Natural disaster |
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[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c USDOJ Bureau of Justice Statistices Census of Law Enforcement Agencies 2004
- ^ "2007 Population Estimates" (xls). US Census. http://www.census.gov/popest/states/NST-ann-est.html. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
- ^ Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics, 2000: Data for Individual State and Local Agencies with 100 or More Officers http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/lemas00.pdf
- ^ [1]
[edit] External links
- Texas Highway Patrol (Official Website)
- Texas Highway Patrol History (Official Website)
- Texas Highway Patrol Association & Museum (Official Website)
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