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Pennsylvania State Police
Statewide law enforcement agency of Pennsylvania From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) is the state police agency of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, responsible for statewide law enforcement. The Pennsylvania State Police is a full service law enforcement agency which handles both traffic and criminal law enforcement. The Pennsylvania State Police was founded in 1905 by order of Governor Samuel Pennypacker, by signing Senate Bill 278 on May 2, 1905. The bill was signed in response to the Great Anthracite Strike of 1902. Leading up to the Anthracite Strike, private police forces (the coal and iron police) were used by mine and mill owners to stop worker strikes. The inability or refusal of local constables or sheriffs' offices to enforce the law directly influenced the signing of Bill 278. The Anthracite Strike lasted from May 15 to October 23, 1902, and was ended with the help of Theodore Roosevelt, the sitting president at the time.
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PSP enlisted members are referred to as "Troopers". Up until 1963, married men were not allowed to apply to the state police, and active troopers had to seek permission from their superior officer to get married. As of 2021, the state police has approximately 4,547 State Troopers and more than 1,850 civilian support staff.[3]
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Pennsylvania State Police Academy
In 1924, a State Police training academy was built in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on Cocoa Avenue. The site was located at the Hershey Inn and it remained at this location until 1960 when it was moved to 175 Hersheypark Drive, Hershey, Pennsylvania. The current location is fitted with kennels, stables and a range, among other facilities, and is located only a few miles from the original site. Once accepted into the Pennsylvania State Police Academy cadets endure a rigorous 28-week training period.[4] Cadets live at the academy in barracks style quarters and are only permitted to go home on designated weekends. Cadets who fail to complete physical training in required times or who show any other type of deficiencies may be restricted from going home. While attending training, cadets are put on an 18-month probationary period and can be dismissed at any point in their training by the commissioner under any form of incompetence, inefficiency, or general violation of rules and regulations.[5] The current drop-out rate for new recruits in the academy is approximately 20 percent per class.
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Operations
Under Pennsylvania law, a municipality may choose to have the state police act as its local law enforcement, and the municipality does not have to pay any fees to do so. Unlike other states, Pennsylvania does not use county sheriff's offices to patrol areas without local police, and so the PSP covers areas without local police departments. As of 2016[update] 1,287 municipalities in the state used the PSP as their only local law enforcement.[6] The full PSP municipalities that have a population of 10,000 or below combined have about 17% of the total number of people in Pennsylvania; these municipalities make up about 50% of the total municipalities in the state.[7] In 2019, about 66% of the municipalities in the state had PSP as the sole law enforcement or had a part-time police force combined with PSP.[8] As of 2016[update] all areas in the following counties use PSP as their local law enforcement (either fully, or with part-time police departments): Cameron, Forest, Fulton, Juniata, Potter, Sullivan, Susquehanna, and Wyoming.[6]
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Facilities
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The PSP owns and operates a myriad of facilities to conduct law enforcement operations across the Commonwealth.
The following is the breakdown:
Barracks listing by county
Bureaus and offices
The PSP also has many bureaus and subdivisions within the organization.[9] This is by no means a complete list, merely a sampling of the breakdown.
- Bureau of Criminal Investigation
- Bureau of Emergency and Special Operations
- Bureau of Forensic Services
- Bureau of Human Resources
- Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement
- Bureau of Records and Identification
- Bureau of Patrol
- Bureau of Integrity and Professional Standards
- Bureau of Communications and Information Services
- Bureau of Staff Services
- Bureau of Research & Development
- Bureau of Training & Education
- Bureau of Gaming Enforcement
- Commonwealth Law Enforcement Assistance Network – C.L.E.A.N.
- Equal Employment Opportunity Office
- Public Information Office
- Recruitment and Special Services Office
- Member Assistance Office
- Department Discipline Office
- Municipal Police Officers' Education and Training Commission (MPOETC)
- Domestic Security Office
- Bureau of Pregnancies & Domestic Affairs
Units
- Academy Instructors
- Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Specialists
- Auto Theft Units
- Aviation
- Ballistics Section
- Ceremonial Unit
- Clandestine Lab Units
- Commercial Vehicle Enforcement
- Community Service Officer
- Computer Crimes
- Criminal Interdiction (S.H.I.E.L.D)
- Criminal Investigation Units
- Drug Recognition Experts
- Explosives/Bomb Section
- Fire Marshals
- Firearms Instructors
- Forensic Services Unit
- Fugitive Units
- Gaming Enforcement
- Intelligence Units
- Interdiction Units
- K-9 Units
- Marine Unit
- Megan's Law Unit
- Motorcycle Units
- Mounted Units
- Negotiators
- Organized Crime
- PA Crime Stoppers
- PA Criminal Intelligence Center
- PA Instant Check System
- Polygraph Unit
- Public Information Officers
- Recruiting Unit
- Special Emergency Response Teams (SERT), which is the PA State Police's version of S.W.A.T
- State Police Crime Laboratories
- Uniform Patrol Units
- Unsolved Crimes
- Vehicle Fraud Investigation
- Vice/Narcotics
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Uniform and rank structure
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The uniform worn by PSP troopers is unique within Pennsylvania. In January 1988, the State Police changed the color of its uniforms. PSP troopers wore dark grey uniforms that confused them with some municipal police departments and Pennsylvania State Constables. By state law, no municipal (city, borough, or township) police department can wear the same exact uniform or color configuration as that of the PSP.
Uniform – troopers to sergeants
The current PSP uniform for troopers, corporals, and sergeants consists of a light gray uniform shirt with black shoulder epaulets. The PSP shoulder patch is worn on both sleeves of all uniform items. The PSP members are issued long sleeve shirts for the winter and short sleeve shirts for summer. However, PSP requires the black necktie to be worn year round. The uniform shirt consist of the trooper's nameplate over the right pocket and any awards the trooper has earned over the left pocket. The PSP is one of only five state police forces that do not wear a badge on their uniform shirts.[10][self-published source?] The original PSP uniform was modeled after the Constabulary forces in Europe and they did not have badges. It is history and tradition for troopers today to carry their badges in a wallet along with their photo ID card. The uniform trousers are a darker gray color with a one-inch-wide black stripe on the leg. PSP shoes and/or boots are also black in color.
The PSP duty belt is plain black leather. The duty holster is the level-2 model. The ammo pouch and handcuff case have hidden snap closure. The OC pepper spray and ASP baton holders are open top. The duty belt is held together with the trousers belt using four silver snap belt keepers. In 2025, PSP started using external vests on their long sleeves uniforms. These do not carry any equipment and mimic the front and back of the shirt. The chest portion of the shirt is modified to be breathable. These are in trial in Troop T.
The PSP trademark item is the campaign-style hat with the chin strap worn in the front under the chin on the winter campaign hat (as opposed to most agencies that wear the strap of the campaign hat behind the head). The hat contains a blackened commonwealth coat of arms. It is required to be worn whenever the trooper is outdoors. It is made of dark gray felt (for wintertime wear) or light gray straw (for summertime wear). The strap of the summer hat is worn behind the head.
The Class "A" Ceremonial uniform troopers wear is a "full dress" uniform with a charcoal gray military-style blouse coat with black buttons. It is worn with the standard issue trouser pants and a black dress shoes. The rank insignia is worn on the shoulder epaulets of the blouse coat. Medals, insignias and ribbons are to be worn on the blouse coat. This uniform is modeled after the original PSP history uniform.
Service insignia's are permitted to be worn on the left sleeve of the Class "A" Ceremonial uniform to correspond with the troopers years of service. A gold bar symbolizes 5 years of service and a gold star symbolizes 10 years of service. The symbols can be combined on the sleeve to signify additional years of service.
Uniform – Commissioned Officers (lieutenants to colonel)
The uniforms for PSP Lieutenants, Captains, Majors, Lieutenant Colonels, and the Colonel are identical to that of the lower ranks, except for the following:
- A gold-colored commonwealth coat of arms on the left collar and the officer's rank on the right collar.
- Black stripes on trousers has a gold stripe within it of increasing width with higher rank.
- The campaign hat is replaced with a military officer's style service cap with a gold-colored commonwealth seal. Captains and above have the distinctive "scrambled eggs" on the visor. Alternatively, officers may wear the campaign hat with a gold coat of arms with the duty uniform.
In addition to the minor detail changes, officers also wear the Class "A" Ceremonial uniform. Officers Class "A" Ceremonial uniform includes a "full dress" uniform with a charcoal gray military-style blouse coat with gold buttons and gold stitching on the sleeves. It is worn with the standard issue trouser pants which include a gold stripe and black dress shoes. The rank insignia is worn on the shoulder epaulets of the blouse coat. Medals, insignias and ribbons are to be worn on the blouse coat.
Service insignia's are permitted to be worn on the left sleeve of the Class "A" Ceremonial uniform to correspond with the troopers years of service. A gold bar symbolizes 5 years of service and a gold star symbolizes 10 years of service. The symbols can be combined on the sleeve to signify additional years of service.
Ranks, insignia, and descriptions, etc.
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Vehicles
The department currently operates a mixed fleet of vehicles including the new law enforcement specific Ford Taurus, Ford Explorer, Dodge Durango, Dodge Charger and Chevrolet Tahoe. They also use Harley-Davidson Motorcycles for highway patrol. The PSP also owns and operates numerous special operations vehicles including the Lenco BearCat and the Ring Power Rook. Their aviation wing operates helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.[11] PSP operates watercraft mainly on the Delaware River and Lake Erie.
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Aviation
The PSP Aviation Section consists of thirty-five trooper pilots and three full-time mechanics, using six law enforcement specific Bell 407GX helicopters, 1 PC-12/47E, 1 Cessna 208B, and 1 Beechcraft Super King Air 360ER[12]. These aircraft are stationed in six aviation patrol units (APU)[13].
Weapons
The Pennsylvania State Police utilizes the Walther PDP (Service Pistol) which is a 9×19mm Parabellum semi-automatic pistol designed in 2021 by Walther Arms as a replacement for the Walther PPQ. The Walther PDP is also mounted with an Aimpoint Acro P-2 red dot reflex sight.
Other firearms include the Colt AR-15 (including the LE6920 and LE6940), and gas grenade launchers.
The current less-lethal weapons the PSP is utilizing consist of electroshock weapon technology,[14] pepper spray (OC), and expandable ASP straight batons.
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Accreditation
The Pennsylvania State Police is the largest internationally accredited law enforcement agency in the world. This distinction was awarded to the Pennsylvania State Police on July 31, 1993, by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), an independent, non-profit organization based in Fairfax, Virginia.[15]
Accreditation is a process used by professional law enforcement agencies to facilitate the creation, verification and maintenance of high-quality policies and procedures, via voluntary compliance with performance standards. CALEA's 446 standards address nine major law enforcement topics: role, responsibilities, and relationships with other agencies; organization, management, and administration; personnel structure; personnel process; operations; operational support; traffic operations; prisoner and court-related services; and auxiliary and technical services.[16]
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Members killed in the line of duty
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Key
shaded rows with "SHP" in the Notes cell denotes the officer was a member of the Pennsylvania State Highway Patrol.
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Superintendents and commissioners since 1905
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The following is a chronological listings of commissioners of the Pennsylvania State Police:[17]
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Traditions
- PSP Troopers are widely recognized for wearing the strap of their winter campaign hats under their chins, a tradition that goes back to the early 1900s, which was based on British and Irish Bobbies.
- The PSP is one of only a handful of state police agencies that do not wear badges on their uniforms.
- The PSP was nationally recognized as the premiere state police agency in the early years of the 20th century. State troopers from North Carolina and Kentucky attended the training academy so they could start PSP-style state agencies in their respective states. NC trooper cadets at the academy in Raleigh and KY trooper cadets in Frankfort are frequently reminded they have a familial connection to the PSP through their training process history.[citation needed]
- The PSP was patterned after a military organization and PSP troopers have sometimes been referred to as "Soldiers of the Law and Order".[42] Divisions of the force are called "troops", and officers are known as "troopers", a title usually reserved for members of the United States Cavalry, and reminiscent of the early beginnings of the department when officers patrolled on horseback. Regional headquarters, at which single troopers were once required to live, are referred to as "barracks". The original concept was that the troopers did not apply to join the PSP but "enlisted" for two-year periods, after which they could be honorably discharged or apply for reenlistment. The longstanding two-year enlistment periods were phased out in 1961.
- Married men were initially barred from becoming state troopers. After 1927, troopers were allowed to marry after they had completed their first two-year enlistment if they had approval from the police superintendent. The PSP allowed married men to enlist in 1963.[43]
- PSP does not allow ride-alongs. Even state police cadets cannot "ride along" prior to graduating the academy. This is done for numerous safety and liability reasons.[44]
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Misconduct and controversy
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- 2000
Trooper Michael Evans pleaded guilty in October 2000 to sexual crimes committed against six women and teenage girls while on duty. He was sentenced to between five and ten years in custody.[45][46]
- 2007
In September, 2007, Trooper Kevin Foley was arrested for the murder of a dentist, Dr. John Yelenic, in Blairsville, Pennsylvania.[47]
- 2008
In July, 2008, Trooper Kevin Coleman was charged with protecting a prostitution ring based out of the Gables Truck Stop in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.[48]
- 2009
In May 2009, Trooper Shawn Dillard was found guilty by a federal court of using his position to protect an interstate prostitution ring based out of the Gables Truck Stop in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This was the same investigation that led to the arrest of Trooper Coleman.[49]
- 2011
In early 2011, as a result of a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, the state police agreed to stop issuing tickets to people who swear. Press reports indicated the state police had issued as many as 700 such citations a year.[50]
- 2012
In January 2012, Lieutenant Barry Eugene Staub, the commander of the state police barracks in York was arrested for driving while drunk. He retired when charges were brought against him.[51]
- 2014
In March, 2014 Trooper Barry M Seafoss Jr. pleaded guilty to killing a woman while driving drunk in 2012. He was sentenced to between six and 23 months' confinement.[52]
- 2017
Trooper Ryan Luckenbaugh was sentenced by Judge Scott A. Evans to 9 to 22 months in county prison on his official oppression, simple assault and harassment convictions. Luckenbaugh kicked a handcuffed man in the face while the man sat on the sidewalk and lied about it on official reports.[53]
- 2021
Trooper Robert E. Covington Jr., of Olyphant, PA, for his alleged involvement in illegal activity occurring at Sinners Swing Gentlemen's Club in Mayfield Borough, Lackawanna County. Covington, 48, is a 13-year veteran of PSP and was assigned to the Bureau of Gaming Enforcement, Pocono Downs Wilkes-Barre Office. He had been on restricted duty during the investigation and is currently suspended without pay pending resolution of the charges against him.
- 2022
Trooper Joshua Ravel from the York barracks was charged with DUI while on duty after he showed up for his shift and drove from York to Lancaster and back for a special assignment. He was taken to the supervisors office where he appeared under the influence, and a chemical breath test revealed his blood alcohol content to be .144. A review of the dash camera footage from his cruiser showed he was unable to maintain his lane of travel several times during the drive.[citation needed]
Trooper Joshua Burney from the Lewis Run barracks in McKean county was charged with DUI while on duty after a colleague noticed he smelled of alcohol and had red, glossed over eyes. Trooper Burney was taken back to the barracks where preliminary field sobriety tests and a breath test showed signs of impairment. A blood draw test showed his blood alcohol content to be .086. A review of the dash camera footage from his cruiser showed he was unable to maintain his lane of travel several times during his response to an emergency call in Mount Jewett Borough.[citation needed]
Both troopers were suspended without pay pending to outcome of their cases. Trooper Burney was the second trooper to be charged with DUI on duty within 4 months along with Trooper Ravel. Both were on the job for the PA State Police for less than 2 years. Trooper Ravel graduated from the academy in June 2020, and Trooper Burney graduated August 2021.[citation needed]
2023
Trooper Michael J. Brown stationed at the Mansfield barracks was charged with vehicular homicide. An investigation into a crash indicated he attempted to pass a vehicle illegally across the double yellow lines on U.S. Route 6 in Sullivan Township in February. As a result, Brown's vehicle, a Jeep Grand Cherokee, struck an oncoming GMC Acadia, killing the driver, 47-year-old Christine Woodward.
Pa. trooper involved in crash that killed Troy teacher charged with vehicular homicide[inappropriate external link?]
In popular culture
- H. Beam Piper's 1965 science fiction novel Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen's eponymous character begins the story as a PSP Trooper.
- An undercover PSP Trooper played by Sarah Jessica Parker co-stars with Bruce Willis playing a Pittsburgh Police River Rescue Squad officer in the 1993 movie Striking Distance.
- A PSP Trooper is played by Harland Williams in the 1994 film Dumb and Dumber.
- The PSP were featured in the sixth-season CSI: NY episode "Redemptio" as well as the ninth-season Law & Order episode titled "Hate".
- The PSP is featured in the 2004 TV film Boa vs. Python.
- Featured in the 1997 movie For Richer or Poorer.
- Stephen King's novel From a Buick 8 features Troop D in a fictional town named Statler.
- The PSP were featured in the 2010 movie Unstoppable, in which a runaway train passes through numerous townships within the state of Pennsylvania.
- Multiple PSP troopers and the department were featured in the Netflix series Evil Genius, which covered the murder of Brian Wells and the bank heist surrounding it.
- PSP Criminal Investigators were featured in the first-season episode of TV series Cold Case Files, titled "Little Girl Lost".
- PSP featured extensively, including fairly accurate depictions of uniforms and vehicles, in the film Angel Has Fallen.
See also
References
Notes
External links
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