| Georgia Department of Public Safety | |
|---|---|
 Georgia Department of Public Safety seal | |
| Abbreviation | GDPS |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1937 |
| Employees | 1,268 (as of 2004) [1] |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | Georgia, U.S. |
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| Georgia State Patrol Troop Map | |
| Size | 59,425 square miles (153,910 km2) |
| Population | 9,544,750 (2007 est.)[2] |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Troopers | 856 (as of 2004) [3] |
| Civilians | 412 (as of 2004) [4] |
| Agency executive |
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| Child agencies |
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| Website | |
| Official Site | |
The Georgia Department of Public Safety (GDPS) is a state body that is responsible for statewide law enforcement and public safety within the U.S. state of Georgia. The current Commissioner of the department is Chris C. Wright, who is also Colonel of the Georgia State Patrol.
On February 28, 1974, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) was made an independent agency separate from the Georgia Department of Public Safety.
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Main article: Georgia State Patrol |
The Georgia State Patrol is the highway patrol agency for the U.S. state of Georgia, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state. GSP Troopers primarily operate on the long stretches of Interstate highway as well as providing SWAT team response to rural areas of the state.
A lieutenant colonel serves as commanding officer over field operations; the current Lieutenant Colonel is William W. Hitchens, III.[5]
Georgia Capitol Police is one of the divisions of the Georgia Department of Public Safety responsible for law enforcement of the Capitol Hill area of Atlanta, Georgia. A Captain serves as Director of Georgia Capitol Police; The current Captain is James D. Wicker.[6]
The Division is split into two units:
The Motor Carrier Compliance Division is responsible for the enforcement of the laws and rules of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This division conducts safety inspections of commercial motor vehicles especially buses and trucks, inspects highway shipments of hazardous materials, and performs compliance reviews (aka safety performance audits) on motor carriers. It also enforces laws and regulations that govern vehicle size (height, width, and length) and weight. It operates the 19 weigh stations in the state of Georgia and also performs roadside inspections on Commercial Motor Vehicles. Lastly the MCCD also enforces the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes through the city of Atlanta.
