| Georgia Department of Public Safety | |
|---|---|
 Georgia Department of Public Safety seal | |
| Abbreviation | GDPS |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1937 |
| Employees | 1,268 (as of 2004) |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | Georgia, U.S. |
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| Georgia State Patrol Troop Map | |
| Size | 59,425 square miles (153,910 km) |
| Population | 9,544,750 (2007 est.) |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Troopers | 856 (as of 2004) |
| Civilians | 412 (as of 2004) |
| Agency executive |
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| Child agencies |
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| Website | |
| Georgia Department of Public Safety | |
The Georgia Department of Public Safety (GDPS) is a state body that is responsible for statewide law enforcement and public safety within the U.S. state of Georgia. The current Commissioner of the department is William W. Hitchens, who is also Colonel of the Georgia State Patrol.
Divisions
On February 28, 1974, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) was made an independent agency separate from the Georgia Department of Public Safety.
Georgia State Patrol
Main article: Georgia State PatrolThe Georgia State Patrol is the highway patrol agency for the U.S. state of Georgia, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state. GSP Troopers primarily operate on the long stretches of Interstate highway as well as providing SWAT team response to rural areas of the state.
A lieutenant colonel serves as commanding officer over field operations; the current Lieutenant Colonel is Kendrick Lowe.
Georgia Capitol Police
Georgia Capitol Police is one of the divisions of the Georgia Department of Public Safety responsible for law enforcement of the Capitol Hill area of Atlanta, Georgia. A Major serves as Director of Georgia Capitol Police; Major Gary Langford is the current adjutant.
The Division is split into two units:
- Capitol Police Services Unit
- Capitol Square Security Unit
Georgia Motor Carrier Compliance Division
The Motor Carrier Compliance Division is responsible for the enforcement of the laws and rules of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This division conducts safety inspections of commercial motor vehicles especially buses and trucks, inspects highway shipments of hazardous materials, and performs compliance reviews (aka safety performance audits) on motor carriers. It also enforces laws and regulations that govern vehicle size (height, width, and length) and weight. It operates the 19 weigh stations in the state of Georgia and also performs roadside inspections on Commercial Motor Vehicles. Lastly the MCCD also enforces the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes through the city of Atlanta.
See also
- List of law enforcement agencies in Georgia
- Georgia Bureau of Investigation
- State police
- State patrol
- Highway patrol
References
- USDOJ Statistics Archived November 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- "Population Estimates". Archived from the original on 2010-01-03. Retrieved 2008-12-25. 2007 Population Estimates
- USDOJ Statistics Archived November 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- USDOJ Statistics Archived November 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine