Arkansas State Police

Arkansas State Police
Abbreviation	ASP
Patch of the Arkansas State Police.
Badge of the Arkansas State Police.
Agency overview
Formed	March 19, 1935
Employees	863 (as of 2004) [1]
Legal personality	Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
ASP Troop Map
Size	53,179 square miles (137,730 km2)
Population	2,834,797 (2007 est.)[2]
General nature	Law enforcement Civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters	Little Rock, Arkansas
Troopers	508 (as of 2004) [1]
Civilians	355 (as of 2004) [1]
Agency executive	Colonel J.R. Howard[3], Director
Website
http://www.asp.arkansas.gov/index.html

The Arkansas State Police is the state police agency for Arkansas, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state. It was created to protect the lives, property and constitutional rights of people in Arkansas. Unlike other simarily named state police organizations in the United States, the Arkansas State Police is more of a Department of Public Safety in that it is an umbrella organization rather than a general policing agency. The uniformed divisions is as a highway patrol not a general power police as the Arkansas constitution grants that authority to the various County Sheriff's and local police. While the Arkansas State Police was developed primarily to enforce liquor laws and assist local police departments, all commissioned State Troopers have arrest authority regarding any/all criminal and traffic laws of Arkansas.

On March 19, 1935 when Arkansas Governor J.M. Futrell and the Arkansas General Assembly approved and signed into law Act 120, known as the Chrip-Carter bill, the Arkansas State Police was born.

The first men to be empowered in Arkansas with statewide law enforcement duties and responsibilities were known as Rangers. The name later changed to troopers.^[4]

State Police Commission

The Seven member State Police Commission is composed of seven members appointed by the Governor of Arkansas for a term of seven (7) years. The officers of the Commission will be chairman, vice-chairman and secretary. Election of officers will be held annually at the January commission meeting. These officers shall perform the duties prescribed by applicable law, this rule, and the parliamentary authority adopted by the agency. The commission is responsible for the overall control of the Arkansas State Police.

Members:

Dr. Lewis Shepherd - Chairman

John W. Allison - Vice-Chairman

Steve G. Smith - Secretary

Jane Christenson - Member

Daniel "Woody" Futrell - Member

Wallace Fowler - Member

Frank Guinn, Jr. - Member

Organization

• ASP Director - Currently Colonel Winford E. Phillips
  • Deputy Director
  • Director's Staff
• Administrative Services Division

ASP Personnel Trooper Recruiting

• Highway Patrol Division includes:
  • Driver Licensing & Examination
  • Fatal Crash Summaries

The Highway Patrol Division is divided into two regions:

• • Eastern region with A, B, C, D, E & F Troops,
  • Western region with G, H, I, J, K & L Troops.
• Criminal Investigation Division - Special Agents assigned to the division investigate criminal cases initiated by both the Arkansas State Police and local law enforcement agencies.
• Crimes Against Children Division - consists of a central administrative office, hotline operations, and eight area investigative offices.

Administrator and Area Offices

• Highway Safety Office
• Regulatory Services
  • Alarm Installation/Monitoring
  • Blue Light Sales (emergency lights used by law enforcement)
  • Combustibles/Explosives
  • Concealed Handgun Licensing
  • Crash Record Information
  • Fire Marshal
  • Fire Alarm/Sprinkler Systems
  • ID Bureau & AFIS
  • Precious Metals
  • Private Investigators
  • Salvage Auction Buyer
  • Used Motor Vehicle Licensing

Rank Structure

Title	Insignia	Description
Director		Rank of Colonel, appointed by the Governor of Arkansas to be the professional head of the Department
Deputy Director		Rank of Lieutenant Colonel, second-in-command of Department and second highest ranked commissioned officer in the Department.
Major		Responsible for serving as a Highway Patrol Division Regional Commander, as the Criminal Investigation Division Commander or as the Administrative Services Division Commander
Captain		Responsible for serving as a Highway Patrol Troop Commander, Criminal Investigation Division Regional Commander or other upper-level administrative and managerial staff position.
Lieutenant		Responsible for serving as a Highway Patrol Troop Assistant Commander, Criminal Investigation Division Company Commander or supervising a specialized function with the State Police
Sergeant		First supervisory rank, responsible for overseeing and supervising Troopers and non-commissioned personnel in the performance of their duties
Corporal		Rank attained by Trooper First Class after completion of 7 years of service. May supervise Troopers in the performance of their duties in absence of a sergeant.
Trooper First Class		Rank attained by Trooper after completion of 4 1/2 years of service.
Trooper		Rank attained by Recruits upon successful completion of the training academy, responsible for field law enforcement patrol or specialized or technical law enforcement function.
Recruit		A Cadet is a new recruit, and is the rank held by all personnel while assigned as a student at the training academy. These personnel do not wear rank insignia.

See also

• List of law enforcement agencies in Arkansas
• State police
• State patrol
• Highway patrol

	Arkansas portal
	Law enforcement/Law enforcement topics portal

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} USDOJ Statistics
2. ^ http://www.census.gov/popest/states/NST-ann-est.html 2007 Population Estimates
3. ^ "Arkansas State Police Website". Arkansas State Police Website. http://www.asp.state.ar.us/. 
4. ^ http://www.asp.arkansas.gov/asp/asp_story.html Arkansas State Police Website

External links

• Arkansas State Police