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Alabama Department of Public Safety
Alabama Department of Public Safety Seal
Common name	Alabama State Troopers
Motto	Courtesy, Service, Protection
Agency overview
Formed	December 5, 1935
Preceding agency	Alabama Highway Patrol (1935-1939)
Employees	700–1,000 (civilian) ~ 220 (law enforcement)
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction	Alabama, USA
Legal jurisdiction	State of Alabama
General nature	Civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters	Alabama Criminal Justice Center Montgomery, Alabama
Agency executives	Jon Archer, Colonel Will Wright, Major of Highway Patrol , Major of Drivers' License Division Steve Thompson, Major of Marine Patrol
Parent agency	Alabama Law Enforcement Agency
Child agencies	Alabama Highway Patrol Alabama Marine Patrol Alabama Drivers License Division
Facilities
Posts and Field Offices	15 posts and 2 field offices
Police Vehicles	Ford Explorer Ford Taurus Ford Expedition Ford Crown Victoria Ford F-250 Chevrolet Tahoe Chevrolet Suburban Chevrolet Impala Dodge Charger Dodge Durango Dodge Ram
Helicopters	UH-1-H Huey Bell 206B Jet Ranger OH-58A+(w/ NightSun and FLIR)
Planes	Beech King Air 200 Cessna C-182
Dogs	German Shepherd Belgian Malinois
Website
Alabama DPS site

The Alabama Department of Public Safety is the uniform section of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, serving the U.S. state of Alabama. It is made up of three divisions: Highway Patrol Division, Marine Patrol Division, and Drivers' License Division.

History

The Alabama Department of Public Safety began as the Alabama Highway Patrol on December 5, 1935. The Highway Patrol was renamed the Department of Public Safety on March 8, 1939, and then included 4 divisions: Highway Patrol, Driver License, Accident Prevention Bureau, and Mechanical and Equipment.

On January 17, 2011, Hugh B. McCall was appointed to the position of Colonel of the Alabama Department of Public Safety by Governor Robert J. Bentley, making him the first African-American to head the agency. In 2013 the state's law enforcement agencies were streamlined into the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

Organization

The Department of Public Safety is headed by a director appointed by the Governor of Alabama who is the executive officer of the department and holds the rank of colonel. The director is aided in managing the department by an assistant director, who is also appointed by the governor and who holds the rank of lieutenant colonel. Each of the department's three divisions are headed by uniformed officers with the rank of major.

• Driver License Division
  • Drive License Examining Unit
  • Drive Records Unit
  • License Reinstatement Unit
  • Safety Responsibility Unit
• Alabama Highway Patrol Division
  • Career Development and Training Office
  • Motor Carrier Safety Unit
  • Traffic Homicide Investigations Office
  • Division Programs Office
  • Patrol Operations
    • Alexander City Post
    • Birmingham Post
    • Decatur Post
    • Dothan Post
    • Eufaula Field Office
    • Evergreen Post
    • Gadsden Post
    • Grove Hill Field Office
    • Hamilton Post
    • Huntsville Post
    • Jacksonville Post
    • Mobile Post
    • Montgomery Post
    • Opelika Post
    • Quad Cities Post
    • Selma Post
    • Troy Post
    • Tuscaloosa Post

–

Highway Patrol

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

In 1971, the Alabama Highway Patrol became the first U.S. police organization to use downsized vehicles for regular highway patrol duties when they purchased 132 AMC Javelins. This pre-dated, among others, the Camaros and Mustangs used by other departments years later.

Marine Patrol

The Alabama Marine Patrol Division is responsible for law enforcement on the waterways of Alabama. The mission of the Division is to "enhance safety and promote responsible use of resources on Alabama's waterways through enforcement, education, and community activities". The Division patrols the waterways of the state, oversees pleasure boats registration and boat operators licensing, and provides education to boaters, and also maintains 1,518 waterway markings (buoys).

The Division operates from three districts: Northern, which includes the Tennessee, Coosa, and Black Warrior Rivers; Central, which includes the Coosa, Tallapoosa, Alabama, Tombigbee, and Chattahoochee Rivers; and Southern, which includes the Alabama and Tombigbee Rivers, Mobile Bay, Gulf of Mexico, and other rivers and lakes.

Rank structure

The Alabama Department of Public Safety rank structure is as listed:

Rank	Insignia
Director (If Highway Patrol, Colonel)
Assistant Director (If Highway Patrol, Lieutenant Colonel)
Chief (Equivalent to major, is not named major though)
Captain
Lieutenant
Sergeant
Corporal
Senior Trooper
Trooper

Fallen officers

There have been 29 Alabama State Troopers killed in the line of duty since its beginning in 1935.

Since 1935, the Alabama State Troopers have had one Trooper killed in the military.

References

1. "Department of Public Safety". Website of the Alabama Law Enforcement Division. State of Alabama. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
2. "ADPS History page". Archived from the original on 2008-11-24. Retrieved 2008-11-27.
3. "Merging 12 Alabama law enforcement agencies will increase safety, save money, officials say". AL.com. Associated Press. 28 December 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
4. "Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Governemnt - Department of Public Safety Marine Patrol". alea.gov/dps. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
5. ^ "Martine Patrol - Alabama Law Enforcement Agency". alea.gov/dps. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
6. "Alabama Department of Public Safety, Alabama, Fallen Officers". Officer Down Memorial Page. Retrieved 13 June 2018.

External links

• https://web.archive.org/web/20180127084317/http://dps.alabama.gov/Home/Default.aspx

• State law enforcement agencies of Alabama
• Government agencies established in 1935
• State Bureaus of Investigation
• 1935 establishments in Alabama