Ohio State Highway Patrol
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| Ohio State Highway Patrol |
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| Established | 1933 |
| Strength | 1,400 |
| Jurisdiction | Ohio |
| Specialty Units | SRT, Aviation, Crash Reconstruction |
| Chief | Major Robert Booker, Interim Superintendent |
The Ohio State Highway Patrol is a division of the Ohio Department of Public Safety and is the official highway patrol and de facto state police agency of Ohio. The several missions of the Patrol include providing roadway patrol, emergency response to all public lands, the investigation of crimes and providing security for the Governor and other dignitaries.[1]
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[edit] Divisions
Operationally, the Patrol is divided into units whose varying tasks complement the mission of the Patrol to provide safe roadways throughout the state. Operational units include the Office of Field Operations, include units specializing in Aviation, a Special Response Team, Accident reconstruction, Inspections, and Criminal Patrol; Human Resource Management, includes Labor Relations, Career Development and the Administrative Investigation Unit; Office of Investigative Services, includes statewide investigation of crimes occurring on state owned or leased property, crime lab, polygraph services, executive protection for the governor, criminal intelligence and computer crime unit; License and Commercial Standards, which provide for oversight of driver's license and commercial vehicle regulations throughout the state;[2]
The Patrol also has administrative offices which include the Offices of Technology and Communication Services, Finance and Logistics Services, Strategic Services and Recruitment and Training.[3]
The Patrol maintains 55 posts, each administered by one of ten districts and responsible for one of Ohio's 88 counties or the Ohio Turnpike.[4] Posts in Findlay, Bucyrus, Massillon, Warren, Piqua, Columbus, Cambridge, Wilmington, and Jackson. The Berea/Turnpike District operates from three posts on the Ohio Turnpike. Since the turnpike opened in 1955, the Ohio Turnpike Commission has contracted with the Ohio State Highway Patrol to provide law enforcement and assistance to disabled or stranded motorists. They are the only law enforcement agency with jurisdiction on the turnpike.[citation needed]
[edit] Enforcement activities
Recently the Patrol created a mission statement entitled LifeState 1.0, detailing the strategic goals for the Patrol.[5] One of the primary goals of this document was the reduction of traffic crash deaths in Ohio to one per 100 million vehicle miles traveled by the end of 2007.[6] This goal was actually met in 2006. According to the Patrol, it's 1,400 Troopers made over 1.4 million professional stops in 2006, with 60 percent being non-enforcement stops to help, assist or educate motorists. Twenty-five percent of enforcement-related stops in 2006 was for either aggressive driving or for an OVI offense. The Patrol arrested 26,187 drivers for OVI in 2006, and cited 133,650 drivers for aggressive driving.[7]
[edit] Staffing
The Patrol has a strength of approximately 1,400 Troopers in addition to 1,000 support personnel, including driver examiners, load limit inspectors, motor vehicle inspectors, motor carrier enforcement inspectors, dispatchers, electronics technicians, and civilian specialists. The Patrol also maintains all-volunteer auxiliary which was created during World War II to supplement staffing lost to the war effort.[8]
[edit] History
The Ohio State Highway Patrol was founded in 1933. One of the many widely recognized symbols of the OSHP was their dark grey cruisers marked with the famous "flying wheel" insignia on the doors and a yellow stripe running the length of the car. However, in 2002, the decision was made to transition the force to off-white colored patrol vehicles with larger lightbars in response to a number of incidents where troopers were killed by inattentive motorists. The OSHP did, however, use white vehicles from 1976 until 1983, when they reverted back to gray.
73 years of history goes here.
[edit] In the line of duty
Throughout the history of the Patrol, 37 Troopers have died in performance of their duties. Of that number, two were killed in aircraft accidents, sixteen in either motorcycle or automobile accidents, and eight were struck by vehicles or trains. Further, seven were killed in vehicle pursuits or vehicular assault, three by gunfire and one Trooper was electrocuted.[9]
[edit] Auxillary
The Patrol Auxiliary was created in 1942 when many Troopers entered service with the United States military due to World War II. Originally, members of the Auxiliary were required to be members of the American Legion because they were previous war veterans who were unlikely to be drafted.[10]
Today, volunteer Auxiliary members ride on patrol with Troopers, assist at crash scenes, natural disasters and emergency sites, provide highway safety displays, and patrol the Ohio State Fair.[11]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Ohio State Highway Patrol About Us. Ohio State Highway Patrol. Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
- ^ Ohio State Highway Patrol-Organizational Units. Ohio State Highway Patrol. Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
- ^ Ohio State Highway Patrol-Organizational Units. Ohio State Highway Patrol. Retrieved on 2007-01-10.
- ^ Patrol commissions 41 new troopers. Ohio State Highway Patrol. Retrieved on 2007-01-10.
- ^ LifeStat 1.0. Ohio State Highway Patrol. Retrieved on 2007-01-10.
- ^ Ohio Department of Public Safety. State of Ohio. Retrieved on 2007-01-10.
- ^ 2006 Ohio Roads Safest on Record. Ohio State Highway Patrol. Retrieved on 2007-01-10.
- ^ Ohio State Highway Patrol About Us. Ohio State Highway Patrol. Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
- ^ Honoring all the Fallen Members of the Ohio State Highway Patrol. The Officer Down Memorial Page. Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
- ^ Patrol Auxillary. Ohio State Highway Patrol. Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
- ^ Ohio State Highway Patrol Auxiliary. Volunteers in Police Service. Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
[edit] External links
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