highway patrol: Definition from Answers.com

For the American television show, see Highway Patrol (TV series). For the Australian TV series, see Highway Patrol (Australian TV series). For the video game, see Highway Patrol 2. For the Bruce Springsteen song, see Highway Patrolman.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2008)

A highway patrol is either a police unit created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways, or a detail within an existing local or regional police agency that is primarily concerned with such duties.

Duties of highway patrols or traffic police may include the following:

Accident investigation: Gathering evidence to determine the cause of a roadway accident.
Commercial vehicle enforcement: Enforcing highway laws related to commercial transport, including weight limits and hazardous materials rules.
Education: Providing public information, handouts, and displays to encourage safe driving and usage of the roads.
Emergency response: Securing the scene of a traffic accident by using cones and flares as well as providing first aid to the injured.
Law enforcement: Assisting local police in rural areas, and keeping an eye out for non-traffic violations.
Maintenance: Observing and reporting damage to the roadways, and conducting hasty road surveys after disasters or the passage of inclement weather.
Traffic enforcement: Enforcing laws and regulations intended to improve traffic safety, such as speed limits.

Argentina

In Argentina, traffic policing is the responsibility of the Argentine National Gendarmerie.

Australia

In Australia, traffic policing is the responsibility of the state police forces. Each force has its own traffic sections, often a local section in each area and a statewide section.

Australian Capital Territory: Traffic Operations (area wide)
New South Wales Police Force: Highway Patrol (local), Traffic Support Group (statewide)
Northern Territory Police: Highway Patrol Unit (territory wide)
Queensland Police Service: Traffic Branch (local), State Traffic Task Force (statewide)
South Australia Police: Traffic Services Branch (statewide)
Tasmania Police: Traffic Division
Victoria Police: Highway Patrol (local), State Highway Patrol (local)
Western Australia Police: Highway Patrol (local)

Brazil

In Brazil, traffic policing is the responsibility of state and federal police forces accordingly to the highway administration status. State administered highways (usually shorter, within state borders, two-way, single lane, lower traffic) are policed by a branch of the Military Police forces, called State Highway Military Police. At the same time Federal highways and roads (longer, crossing state borders, some double lane and high-traffic) are the responsibility of the Federal Highway Police.

Canada

In Canada, traffic policing on highways is the responsibility of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, except for the provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

Colombia

In Colombia, traffic policing on highways is the responsibility of the Highway Police (Colombia).

Czech Republic

In the Czech Republic, traffic policing on highways is the responsibility of the Policie CR.

France

In France, traffic policing on highways is the responsibility of the Gendarmerie Nationale (France) and the National Police (France).

Finland

In Finland, Liikkuva Poliisi Has the primary responsibility of traffic policing, although regional police units occasionally organize sting operations to catch people driving under the influence and to monitor seatbelt and mobile phone usage.

Germany

In Germany, traffic policing on highways is the responsibility of the Autobahnpolizei section of the Landespolizei.

India

In India, traffic policing on highways are carried out by state police forces.

Italy

In Italy, traffic policing on highways is the responsibility of the Polizia Stradale section of the Polizia di Stato and the Carabinieri.

Japan

In Japan, the Traffic Bureau of the National Police Agency (Japan) licenses drivers, enforces traffic safety laws, and regulates traffic. Intensive traffic safety and driver education campaigns are run at both national and prefectural levels. The bureau's Expressway Division addresses special conditions of the nation's growing system of express highways.

Mexico

In Mexico, traffic policing on highways is the responsibility of the Federal Police (Mexico).

Netherlands

In the Netherlands, policing on the highways falls under the purview of the Dienst Verkeerspolitie (transportation police), which is one the Korps landelijke politiediensten (national police services, as opposed to the regional forces).

Poland

In, Poland, traffic policing on highways is the responsibility of the Policja.

Portugal

In Portugal, traffic policing on highways is the responsibility of the Republican National Guard (Portugal).

Russia

In Russia, traffic policing on highways is the responsibility of the State Road Inspection Service (GAI/DPS).

Spain

In Spain, traffic policing on highways is the responsibility of the Civil Guard (Spain).

Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, traffic policing is the responsibility of the Traffic Police.

Taiwan

In Taiwan, traffic policing on highways is the responsibility of the National Police Agency (Republic of China).

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, traffic policing on highways is the responsibility of the Road Policing Unit of the Territorial police force.

United States

Many state police agencies in the United States take the name of "highway patrol" rather than "state police". State police agencies may fulfill the role of highway patrol. For instance, the California Highway Patrol is actually a state police agency, meaning that it is a police body having statewide authority to conduct law enforcement activities and criminal investigations. In addition to its highway patrol duties described above, it performs functions outside the normal purview of the city police or the county sheriff, such as enforcing traffic laws on state highways and interstate expressways, overseeing the security of the state capitol complex, protecting the governor, training new officers for local police forces too small to operate an academy, providing technological and scientific support services, and helping to coordinate multi-jurisdictional task force activity in serious or complicated cases. The California Highway Patrol also serves as bailiffs and courtroom deputies for certain state courts, such as the appellate courts and the California Supreme Court building in San Francisco. The state traffic enforcement agency retained the name "California Highway Patrol" after the merger of the smaller California State Police with the larger—and better-known—CHP and the combination of their functions into one agency.

However, some Highway Patrol organizations, such as the North Carolina State Highway Patrol are specifically charged with the enforcement of traffic laws, and while able to enforce other laws, they are not official "state police" agencies^[1] in the same vein as the California Highway Patrol or the New Jersey State Police. In other cases, states like Texas have a bona fide and appropriately-named state police department such as the Texas Department of Public Safety, of which only one arm is a highway patrol unit. In addition, the police departments of Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia have highway patrol units. A privately compiled list of Highway Patrol organizations and similar state police agencies is available on the web.^[2] The Iowa State Patrol maintains a list of phone numbers and * and # cell phone numbers for non-emergency calls to the dispatchers of the Highway Patrol organizations in all 50 states.^[3] These numbers are useful for motorists who want to report aggressive driving, driving under the influence, or other dangerous but not life-threatening situations that do not require a 911 call.

Highway patrol and state police officers are often referred to as "state troopers". A state trooper goes by the title "trooper", as in "Trooper John Smith". The term "trooper" comes from "troop", which is typically used for the geographic divisions of a highway patrol or state police organization.

References

^ "NC Department of Crime Control and Public Safety". Nccrimecontrol.org. http://www.nccrimecontrol.org/Index2.cfm?a=000003,000014. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
^ Terrance D. Martin. "Official Directory of State Patrol and State Police". Statetroopersdirectory.com. http://www.statetroopersdirectory.com/. Retrieved 2009-06-11.
^ "Iowa State Patrol Division - Emergency Contacts While Traveling in Iowa". Dps.state.ia.us. 2009-05-19. http://www.dps.state.ia.us/ISP/information/emergency_numbers.shtml. Retrieved 2009-06-11.

v d e Traffic law and safety

Rules of the road	All-way stop Australian Road Rules Boulevard rule Driving side Green Cross Code Highway Code Move over law New Zealand Road Code Overtaking Right-of-way Right turn on red Road rules in Hong Kong Rules of the Road (Ireland) School bus traffic stop laws Traffic code Vienna Convention on Road Traffic

Enforcement	Breathalyzer Highway patrol/State police Parking enforcement Red light camera Road traffic control Traffic court Traffic enforcement camera Traffic guard Traffic stop Traffic ticket Warning

Speed limit	Advisory speed limit National Maximum Speed Law School zone Speed limit enforcement Speed limits by country Speed limits by country

Moving violations	Driving under the influence Canada United Kingdom United States Distracted driving Mobile phones and driving Texting while driving Reckless driving Street racing Tailgating Vehicular homicide Wrong-way driving

Driver licensing	Commercial driver's license European driving licence Graduated driver licensing Inter-American Driving Permit International Driving Permit Learner's permit Point system Driving licences by country List of countries by minimum driving age

Traffic violations reciprocity	Commercial Driver's License Information System Driver License Agreement Driver License Compact Non-Resident Violator Compact

Parking	Alternate-side parking Decriminalised parking enforcement Disabled parking permit Double parking Parking chair Parking violation Wheel clamp

Car safety	Seat belt laws Click It or Ticket

Road safety	Tachograph Digital tachograph Drivers' working hours (Europe) Epilepsy and driving Hours of service (USA) 'How's my driving?' sign Old age and driving Sleep deprived driving

v d e Highway patrol/State police in the United States

See also: Law enforcement in the United States and Highway patrol

States	Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming • Hawaii

Federal District	District of Columbia

Insular areas	American Samoa • Guam • Northern Mariana Islands • Puerto Rico • U.S. Virgin Islands

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Donate to Wikimedia

	SIGAlert (Warning of a traffic tie-up)
	Texas Ranger (member of a division)
	Broderick Crawford (in poker)

	Where can you get the California highway patrol manual? Read answer...
	Who is the chief of the California Highway Patrol? Read answer...
	Chain of command for the highway patrol? Read answer...

	What do California highway patrol officers do?
	How long does it take to be a highway patrol?
	What is the number for Florida highway patrol?

		American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Wikipedia on Answers.com. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Highway patrol. Read more