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Alabama Department of Public Safety
Alabama Department of Public Safety Seal
Alabama Department of Public Safety Seal
Common nameAlabama State Troopers
MottoCourtesy, Service, Protection
Agency overview
FormedDecember 5, 1935
Preceding agency
  • Alabama Highway Patrol (1935-1939)
Employees700–1,000 (civilian) ~ 220 (law enforcement)
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionAlabama, USA
Legal jurisdictionState of Alabama
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersAlabama Criminal Justice Center
Montgomery, Alabama
Agency executives
  • Jon Archer, Colonel
  • Will Wright, Major of Highway Patrol
  • [vacant at the time], 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 Offices15 posts and 2 field offices
Police VehiclesFord Explorer

Ford Taurus

Ford Expedition

Ford Crown Victoria

Ford F-250

Chevrolet Tahoe

Chevrolet Suburban

Chevrolet Impala

Dodge Charger

Dodge Durango

Dodge Ram
HelicoptersUH-1-H Huey

Bell 206B Jet Ranger

OH-58A+(w/ NightSun and FLIR)
PlanesBeech King Air 200 Cessna C-182
DogsGerman Shepherd Belgian Malinois
Website
Alabama DPS site
The Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center, which houses the headquarters of the Alabama Department of Public Safety and the Department of Corrections

The Alabama Department of Public Safety is the uniform section of the Alabama 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. In 2013 the state's law enforcement agencies were streamlined into the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.[3]

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.

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Highway Patrol

Main article: 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 downsized 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.

Marine Patrol

The Alabama Marine Patrol Division is responsible for law enforcement on the waterways of Alabama. The mission of the Division is to "enhance safety and promote responsible use of resources on Alabama's waterways through enforcement, education, and community activities".[4] The Division patrols the waterways of the state, oversees pleasure boats registration and boat operators licensing, and provides education to boaters, and also maintains 1,518 waterway markings (buoys).[5]

The Division operates from three districts: Northern, which includes the Tennessee, Coosa, and Black Warrior Rivers; Central, which includes the Coosa, Tallapoosa, Alabama, Tombigbee, and Chattahoochee Rivers; and Southern, which includes the Alabama and Tombigbee Rivers, Mobile Bay, Gulf of Mexico, and other rivers and lakes.[5]

Rank structure

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

Rank Insignia
Director
Assistant Director
Chief
Captain
Lieutenant
Sergeant
Corporal
Senior Trooper
Trooper

Fallen officers

There have been 29 Alabama State Troopers killed in the line of duty since its beginning in 1935.[6]

Rank Name Date of Death Cause of Death Age Location
Patrolman Maury Young 09-05-1936 Killed in a crash after his motorcycle struck a trailer 29 In Calhoun County, Alabama
Patrolman William D. Raiford, Sr. 10-16-1937 Killed in a crash while on his motorcycle after a vehicle struck him 29 In Jefferson County, Alabama
Chief Radio Engineer L. Bert Ussery 09-21-1943 Killed in a crash while in his State vehicle while traveling to fix a dispatch radio N/A On U.S. Route 231 in Troy, Alabama
Patrolman Arvil O. Hudson 05-20-1952 Killed in a crash after striking a pothole and losing control on a rain-slicked road during a pursuit 39 In Walker County, Alabama
Patrolman Henry Preston Bryant 12-07-1952 Killed in a crash after a vehicle failed to yield in an intersection while in a pursuit with a drunk driver 30 On Lee Highway west of Larkinsville, Alabama
Patrolman Julian F. Draughon 10-03-1953 Killed in a crash while on his motorcycle after a vehicle failed to yield to his lights and siren as he escorted a vehicle to the hospital 29 In Houston County, Alabama
Patrolman Howard Milford Brock 11-08-1957 Killed in a crash with a vehicle that failed to yield to his lights and siren during a pursuit 46 In Lee County, Alabama
Patrolman Joe F. Partin 07-25-1960 Killed in a crash while on his motorcycle after a truck turned out in front of him 32 In Baldwin County, Alabama
Patrolman Anthony A. Scozarro 12-13-1961 Killed in a crash in which he was the passenger after a vehicle struck the side of the patrol car after running a stop sign 22 In Montgomery, Alabama
Captain Thomas Estes Maxwell 10-04-1962 Killed in a crash after being struck by a vehicle while in his patrol car while responding to help a Mississippi Highway Patrol Officer 43 Intersection of Danville Road and Chapel Road in Danville, Alabama
Sergeant Raymond M. Carlton 02-27-1965 Killed in a crash while in his patrol car after a tire blew causing him to hit a bridge abutment 52 On the side of U.S. Route 331 in Covington County, Alabama
Trooper Randolph G. Glover 07-19-1967 Killed in a crash while in his patrol car after losing control during a pursuit 28 In Monroe County, Alabama
Trooper Brooks D. Lawson 07-31-1969 Killed in a crash while in his patrol car after being hit by a train at an unmarked crossing during a pursuit 29 N/A
Corporal Thomas Odean Gillilan 07-01-1970 Succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained on 06-28-1970 after being shot while on a traffic stop 38 On the side of U.S. 331 in Crenshaw County, Alabama
Corporal Harlan B. Blake 10-10-1970 Killed in a crash while in his patrol car during a pursuit 38 N/A
Auxiliary Trooper Ormand Franklin Watkins 04-11-1971 Shot and killed while on a traffic stop with a drunk man who shot him during a fight; his partner, Trooper Ronald Ogletree was also shot but survived 30 On the side of Pineview Circle in Rainbow City, Alabama
Corporal Riley Delano Smith 12-17-1971 Electrocuted to death while checking on a dead body in a swamp; a billboard wire shorted out and electrocuted him as soon as he touched the post 34 Off the side of the Mobile Causeway (U.S. Route 98) in the Mobile Bay in Mobile, Alabama
Trooper James Buford Robinson 12-10-1972 Shot and killed while helping Talladega Police Officers search for a man that wounded a Talladega Officer; Trooper Robinson chased the suspect to a residence when the man turned and killed Trooper Robinson 41 On Chandler Street in Talladega, Alabama
Trooper Bobby S. Gann 02-21-1974 Shot and killed after chasing an escaped mental patient into a dark, abandoned home; the suspect had previously stolen a vehicle 39 Just off of U.S. Route 31 approx. eight miles north of Prattville, Alabama
Trooper Kenyon M. Lassiter 04-19-1974 Struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver while writing a warning to a driver he just stopped 51 On the side of U.S. Route 331 approx. eight miles north of Opp, Alabama
Sergeant Julius Douglas Stuckey 06-27-1974 Killed in a crash while in his patrol car after a tire blew and he struck a bridge railing 36 On the side of I-65 in Evergreen, Alabama
Trooper Johnnie Earl Booker 11-02-1978 Killed in a crash while in his patrol car after a logging truck pinned him against a bridge railing 28 On Alabama State Route 21, approx. 1.5 miles north of Talladega, Alabama
Trooper David E. Temple 09-13-1979 Shot and killed while on a traffic stop with a car that was wanted in an earlier armed robbery 36 On the side of Alabama State Route 20/U.S. Route 72 (Alternate)/I-565 in Mooresville, Alabama
Trooper Simmie L. Jeffries 12-21-1984 Killed in a crash while in his patrol car after a tractor trailer turned in front of him 22 On the interchange of U.S. Route 72 and I-65 near Athens, Alabama
Trooper Larry D. Cawyer 05-25-1985 Struck and killed by two vehicles that wrecked and slid into him as he wrote a traffic ticket 42 On the side of the I-10 Bayway in Mobile, Alabama
Trooper Elizabeth S. Cobb 10-11-1987 Shot and killed by her boyfriend who was also an Alabama State Trooper in an attempt to collect her $350,000 life insurance policy 36 Behind New Bethel Church on County Road 6 in Dallas County, Alabama
Trooper Robert William Jones 10-03-1991 Killed in a crash while in his patrol car after a tractor trailer pulled out in front of him as he responded to a reckless driver call 41 On U.S. Route 231 in Pike County, Alabama
Trooper Willis Von Moore 02-26-1996 Killed in a crash while in his patrol car while responding to a crash; multiple cars failed to yield to Trooper Moore's lights and siren causing Trooper Moore to strike a guardrail 34 On the side of U.S. Route 431 just north of Bob Wade Lane in Huntsville, Alabama
Trooper Brian Keith Nichols 02-17-2002 Killed in a crash while in his patrol car after striking a horse as he topped a hill; the horse fell into his windshield and crushed the top frame of the car 35 On Alabama State Route 56 near Chatom, Alabama

Since 1935, the Alabama State Troopers have had one Trooper killed in the military.

Rank Name Date Employed Date of Death Cause of Death Age
Trooper Stephen Ray Robinette N/A 04-06-1991 Killed by an IED during Operation Desert Storm; he was a Sergeant of the U.S. Army's VII Corps 36 In southern Iraq

References

  1. ^ "Department of Public Safety". Website of the Alabama Law Enforcement Division. State of Alabama. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  2. ^ "ADPS History page". Archived from the original on 2008-11-24. Retrieved 2008-11-27.
  3. ^ "Merging 12 Alabama law enforcement agencies will increase safety, save money, officials say". AL.com. Associated Press. 28 December 2014. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
  4. ^ "Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Governemnt - Department of Public Safety Marine Patrol". alea.gov/dps. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Martine Patrol - Alabama Law Enforcement Agency". alea.gov/dps. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  6. ^ "Alabama Department of Public Safety, Alabama, Fallen Officers". Officer Down Memorial Page. Retrieved 13 June 2018.

External links

Authority control databases
Categories