Alabama Department of Public Safety

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) ~ 250 (law enforcement)
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction	Alabama, USA
Legal jurisdiction	State of Alabama
Headquarters	Alabama Criminal Justice Center; Montgomery, Alabama
	;
Agency executives	Charles Ward, Colonel; Sue Capps, Major of DPS; Dina Pregno, 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	14 posts and 3 field offices
Police Vehicles	Ford Explorer Ford Taurus Ford Crown Victoria Chevrolet Tahoe Chevrolet Impala Dodge Charger
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 Criminal Justice Center, which houses the headquarters of the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Corrections

The Alabama Department of Public Safety is a 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.^[1]

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.^[2]

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.

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 Field Office
  - Grove Hill Field Office
  - Hamilton Post
  - Huntsville Post
  - Jacksonville Post
  - Mobile Post
  - Montgomery Post
  - Opelika Post
  - Selma Post
  - Troy Post
  - Tuscaloosa Post

Highway Patrol

Alabama 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 down-sized 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.

Rank structure

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

Rank	Insignia
Director
Chief
Captain
Lieutenant
Sergeant
Corporal
Trooper

Fallen officers

There have been 29 Alabama State Troopers killed in the line of duty since its beginning in 1935.^[3]

Rank	Name	Date Employed	Date of Death	Cause of Death	Age
Patrolman	Maury Young	N/A	09-05-1936	Motorcycle struck wagon near Pine Level	N/A
Patrolman	William D. Raiford, Sr.	N/A	10-16-1937	Vehicle struck his motorcycle in Jefferson County	29
Chief Radio Engineer	L. Bert Ussery	12-05-1935	09-21-1943	Car crash in Troy on U.S. 231	N/A
Patrolman	Henry Preston Bryant	08-16-1945	12-07-1952	Hit by vehicle that failed to yield right of way during pursuit in Jackson County	30
Patrolman	Arvil O. Hudson	03-17-1952	05-20-1952	Hydroplaned during pursuit in Walker County	N/A
Patrolman	Julian F. Draughon	05-26-1941	10-03-1953	Escorting a vehicle to the hospital, hit by truck that failed to yield right of way in Houston County	29
Patrolman	Howard Milford Brock	05-10-1942	11-08-1957	Hit by vehicle that failed to yield right of way during pursuit in Lee County	46
Patrolman	Joe F. Partin	01-13-1952	07-25-1960	Killed on his motorcycle by truck making an improper turn in Baldwin County, Patrolman Kenneth Rush also seriously injured	32
Patrolman	Anthony A. Scozarro	11-16-1960	12-14-1961	T-boned by a vehicle that ran a stop sign in the City of Montgomery, Patrolman Kenneth Rush also seriously injured	22
Captain	Thomas Estes Maxwell	05-31-1940	10-04-1962	Killed in collision with another vehicle in northwest Alabama while responding to a wreck at the Mississippi state line	41
Sergeant	Raymond M. Carlton	11-01-1937	02-27-1965	Killed when his tire blew out, causing him to lose control and hit a bridge column on U.S. 331 in Covington County	53
Trooper	Randolph G. Glover	09-16-1966	07-29-1967	Lost control of his vehicle during pursuit in Monroe County	31
Trooper	Brooks D. Lawson	12-27-1966	07-31-1969	Struck and killed by train at unprotected crossing during pursuit	29
Corporal	Thomas Odean Gillilan	06-27-1957	07-01-1970	On a traffic stop for speeding when the man he stopped overpowered him, took his pistol, and shot him on the side of U.S. 331 in Crenshaw County. The shooting happened on 06-28-1970 and he died 3 days later	38
Corporal	Harlan Blake	05-01-1967	10-10-1970	Collided with another vehicle while in pursuit of a stolen truck	38
Reserve Trooper	Ormand Franklin Watkins	N/A	04-11-1971	Shot and killed while he and Trooper Ronald Ogletree attempted to arrest a drunk driver in Etowah County	26
Corporal	Riley Delano Smith	05-10-1964	12-17-1971	Electrocuted when called to check a body in marshy water; he came in contact with a metal post on a billboard, which had an electrical short	34
Trooper	James B. Robinson	09-19-1966	12-10-1972	Shot and killed while assisting Talladega PD in an investigation of a man with a rifle; a gun battle ensued, and Robinson was shot in the throat	41
Trooper	Bobby S. Gann	08-27-1963	02-21-1974	Shot and killed by an escaped mental patient; the patient stole a truck with Gann in pursuit, he bailed and fled on foot inside a house; Gann followed inside and was shot	38
Trooper	Kenyon M. Lassiter	10-28-1957	04-19-1974	Hit and killed while writing a warning in Covington County; the driver entered the opposite lane of traffic and struck the stopped car and Trooper Lassiter; he had earlier saved the life of the driver who hit him	51
Sergeant	Julian D. Stuckey	11-01-1966	06-27-1974	Killed when a tire blew out, causing him to hit an I-65 bridge railing in Conecuh County; Stuckey had planned to be married that weekend	36
Trooper	Johnnie Earl Booker	10-29-1975	11-02-1978	Killed in a traffic collision in Talladega County	28
Trooper	David E. Temple	03-26-1975	09-13-1978	Shot and killed while attempting to apprehend 2 robbery suspects in Limestone County	36
Trooper	Simmie L. Jeffries	08-19-1981	12-21-1984	Killed in a traffic collision with an 18-wheeler in Limestone County	22
Corporal	Larry D. Cawyer	10-29-1975	05-25-1985	Killed while writing a citation; two vehicles collided and hit him and his car in Baldwin County on the Mobile Bayway	42
Trooper	Elizabeth S. Cobb	08-18-1986	10-11-1987	Shot and killed by fellow Trooper Joe Duncan in Dallas County; Duncan was arrested and convicted of her murder	31
Trooper	Robert W. Jones	07-05-1978	11-03-1991	Killed when an 18-wheeler pulled out in front of him on U.S. 231 in Pike County	40
Trooper	Willis V. Moore	N/A	02-26-1996	Killed in a one-vehicle crash in Madison County on U.S. 231, north of Huntsville, while en route to a wreck; his vehicle was forced off the road by vehicles who did not give right of way and was impaled by a guardrail	33
Trooper	Brian Keith Nichols	09-20-1993	02-17-2002	Killed while headed home after his shift in Washington County; he topped a hill and hit a horse in the road, which fell over the hood and crushed him through the windshield	35

Since 1935, the Alabama State Troopers have had 2 off-duty and/or military deaths.

Rank	Name	Date Employed	Date of Death	Cause of Death	Age
Trooper	Stephen Ray Robinette	N/A	04-06-1991	Killed by a mine in southern Iraq during Operation Desert Storm; he was a Sergeant of the U.S. Army's VII Corps	36
Trainee	Ervin Michael Hawk Johnston, II	N/A	06-16-2008	Johnston was going through the Trooper Academy at the time of his death; he was participating in 1.5 mile run when he became disoriented and collapsed and died from heat exhaustion	25

References

↑ "Alabama DPS main page". Archived from the original on 2008-11-24. Retrieved 2008-11-25.
↑ ADPS History page
↑ "Alabama Department of Public Safety, Alabama, Fallen Officers". Officer Down Memorial Page. Retrieved 13 June 2018.

External links

http://dps.alabama.gov/Home/Default.aspx

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[1] "Alabama DPS main page". Archived from the original on 2008-11-24. Retrieved 2008-11-25.

[2] ADPS History page

[3] "Alabama Department of Public Safety, Alabama, Fallen Officers". Officer Down Memorial Page. Retrieved 13 June 2018.