Georgia State Patrol
The Georgia State Patrol was established in March 1937 in the U.S. state of Georgia and is a division of the Georgia Department of Public Safety. GSP troopers investigate traffic crashes and enforce traffic and criminal laws on the state's roads.
History
The Department of Public safety was created as Georgia citizens complained about increased traffic fatalities, crime, and a need for a larger law enforcement agency with statewide arrest powers. Georgia lawmakers decided to create the State Patrol. In the summer of 1937, the first Trooper School was held at Georgia Tech. Eighty troopers graduated the first year. To date, the Georgia State Patrol has graduated 106 Trooper Schools.Rank structure
Patrol troops and posts
- Troops and Posts
- * Troop A - Includes the following counties: Bartow, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Haralson, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Walker, Whitfield.
- ** Post 3 - Cartersville, Post 5 - Dalton, Post 28 - Jasper, Post 29 - Paulding, Post 38 - Rome, Post 41 - LaFayette, Post 43 - Calhoun.
- * Troop B - Includes the following counties: Banks, Barrow, Clarke, Elbert, Dawson, Fannin, Forsyth, Franklin, Gilmer, Habersham, Hall, Hart, Jackson, Lumpkin, Madison, Oconee, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, White.
- ** Post 6 - Gainesville, Post 7 - Toccoa, Post 27 - Blue Ridge, Post 32 - Athens, Post 37 - Cumming, Post 52 - Hartwell
- * Troop C - Includes the following counties: Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett
- ** Post 9 - Marietta,, Post 47 - Forest Park, Post 48 - Atlanta, Post 49 - Motorcycle Unit, Post 50 - Capitol Hill, Post 51 - Gwinnett
- * Troop D - Includes the following counties: Bibb, Butts, Carroll, Crawford, Coweta, Douglas, Harris, Heard, Henry, Fayette, Lamar, Meriwether, Monroe, Muscogee, Pike, Spalding, Talbot, Taylor, Troup, Upson
- ** Post 1 - Griffin, Post 2 - LaGrange, Post 4 - Villa Rica, Post 24 - Newnan, Post 26 - Thomaston, Post 34 - Manchester, Post 44 - Forsyth
- * Troop E - Includes the following counties: Baldwin, Columbia,Glascock, Greene, Hancock, Jasper, Jones, Lincoln, Putnam, McDuffie, Morgan, Newton, Oglethorpe, Richmond, Rockdale, Taliaferro, Walton, Warren, Washington, Wilkes
- ** Post 8 - Madison, Post 17 - Washington, Post 25 - Grovetown, Post 33 - Milledgeville, Post 46 - Monroe
- * Troop F - Includes the following counties: Appling, Bleckley, Bulloch, Burke, Candler, Davis, Dodge, Emanuel, Evans, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Laurens, Montgomery, Screven, Tattnall, Telfair, Toombs, Treutlen, Twiggs, Wheeler, Wilkinson
- ** Post 16 - Helena, Post 18 - Reidsville, Post 19 - Swainsboro, Post 20 - Dublin, Post 21 - Sylvania, Post 45 - Statesboro
- * Troop G - Includes the following counties: Baker, Calhoun, Chattahoochee, Clay, Colquitt, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Lee, Marion, Miller, Mitchell, Quitman, Randolph, Schley, Seminole, Stewart, Sumter, Terrell, Thomas, Webster, Worth
- ** Post 10 - Americus, Post 12 - Thomasville, Post 14 - Colquitt, Post 39 - Cuthbert, Post 40 - Albany
- * Troop H - Includes the following counties: Atkinson, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brooks, Crisp, Coffee, Cook, Dooly, Echols, Houston, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Macon, Peach, Pulaski, Tift, Turner, Wilcox
- ** Post 13 - Tifton, Post 15 - Perry, Post 30 - Cordele, Post 31 - Valdosta, Post 36 - Douglas
- * Troop I - Includes the following counties: Bacon, Brantley, Bryan, Camden, Charlton, Chatham, Clinch, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, Pierce, Ware, Wayne
- ** Post 11 - Hinesville, Post 22 - Waycross, Post 23 - Brunswick, Post 35 - Jekyll Island, Post 42 - Rincon
- Troop J - Troop J contains two units:
- * Safety Education Unit - Promotes the safe operation of motor vehicles.
- * Implied Consent Unit - Provides support to the Forensics Science Division of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation by overseeing and maintaining the breath-alcohol program for the State of Georgia.
- Special Weapons and Tactics includes the Crisis Negotiations Team
- Specialized Collision Reconstruction Team
- Commercial Motor Vehicle - Criminal Interdiction Unit
- Aviation Unit - Operates 15 helicopters and a Cessna 182 from six locations throughout the State. These are located in Kennesaw, Athens, Reidsville, and Perry.
- Nighthawks DUI Task Force - A 10-member DUI Task Force which patrols Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties during peak DUI related hours.
- Motorcycle Unit - Post 49 - Patrols the Interstate Highways of metropolitan Atlanta with 30 motorcycles.
Other divisions of the Georgia DPS
Capitol Police
Officers with the Capitol Police Division investigate criminal incidents and traffic crashes; manage street closures for events; patrol the streets on Capitol Square and those adjacent to other state buildings; provide courtroom security for Georgia's Supreme Court and Court of Appeals; conduct security assessments and surveillance detection; and deliver personal safety training for state employees and others.Executive Security
The Executive Security Division is, by law, responsible for two distinct functions: executive security and executive protection.Executive Security
The Executive Security Unit provides facility security for the Governor's Mansion and provides personal security for the residents.
Executive Protection
Operating under a lieutenant colonel, this unit provides continual security for the governor, lieutenant governor, the speaker of the House, and the chief justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, and their families. the lieutenant colonel is Tommy Waldrop.
Motor Carrier Compliance
The Motor Carrier Compliance Division performs driver and vehicle inspections of commercial motor vehicles at roadsides, inspection stations, and at carriers' terminals. The inspections range from "full" vehicle and driver inspections—which include mechanical components—to "driver only" inspections. These may also include inspections of vehicles transporting hazardous materials.This division consists of the following units and programs:
- HOV Unit - responsible for the enforcement of High Occupancy Lane restrictions and communications.
- School Bus Safety Unit - responsible for the annual safety inspection of the state's 17,000 public school buses
- Compliance Review Program/Safety Audit - consists of 20 officers who conduct interstate and intrastate compliance reviews.
- Size and Weight Enforcement - the operation of 19 permanent weight/inspection stations provides enforcement coverage on the interstates and related by-pass routes.
- Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Program - contains five federally funded and required program areas, Driver/Vehicle Inspections, Traffic Enforcement, Compliance Reviews, Public Information and Education and Data Collection.
Equipment
Current equipment
- Glock Model 45 9mm equipped with a factory Glock +2 magazine extension, a Nightstick TCM-550XL weapons light and Ameriglo Bold night sights - standard issue
- Glock Model 43 9mm- backup weapon
- Speer Gold Dot 124 grain +P 9mm duty ammunition
- Remington 870 "Police Magnum" 12 gauge- patrol shotgun
- AR-15 5.56×45mm NATO- patrol rifle
Previously issued equipment
- Glock 17 Gen 4 9mm
- Glock Model 37.45 GAP
- Glock Model 22.40 S&W
- Smith & Wesson Model 5906 9mm or Smith & Wesson Model 4506.45 ACP – troopers choice
- Smith & Wesson Model 66.357 magnum
- Colt Python.357 magnum
Fallen officers