New York State Police
Seal
Seal
Badge of New York State Police
Badge of New York State Police
Flag of the State of New York
Flag of the State of New York
Common nameNew York State Troopers
AbbreviationNYSP
MottoExcellence Through Knowledge
Agency overview
FormedApril 11, 1917 (1917-04-11)
Employees5,711 (as of 2018)[1]
Annual budget$926,123,000 (2018)
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionNew York, U.S.
Troops of the New York State Police
Size54,556 sq mi (141,300 km2)
Population19.4 million
Legal jurisdictionNew York (state) statewide
Governing bodyNew York State Executive Department
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersBuilding 22 W. Averell Harriman State Office Building Campus
Albany, New York, United States
Troopers5,000[2]
Non-sworn members711
Agency executive
Facilities
Troops11
Website
Official Site

The New York State Police (NYSP) is the state police of the U.S. state of New York; it is part of the New York State Executive Department and employs over 5,000 sworn state troopers and 711 non-sworn members.

The New York State Police are responsible for patrolling state highways, rural communities, and providing law enforcement services across the state.

History

George Fletcher Chandler, the first Superintendent of the New York State Police

Like most States, the State of New York did not establish a state police force until the early twentieth century. In part this reflected the pattern of settlement across a wide frontier. A number of proposals to create such a force during the early 1900s, but faced considerable opposition from trade union interests. They feared the police would be used against union organizing, as was happening in several other states.[3]

Following the 1913 murder of Sam Howell, a construction foreman in Westchester County, and failure of the local police to arrest suspects he had named before his death, the New York State Legislature passed a bill to establish a state police force. The New York State Police was officially established on April 11, 1917.

The division's first superintendent was George Fletcher Chandler, who was appointed by Governor Charles S. Whitman. Chandler is credited with much of the division's early organization and development. Chandler coined the term "New York State Troopers." He was an early advocate of officers carrying their weapons exposed on a belt, which was not common practice at the time.

On January 1, 1980, the Long Island State Parkway Police merged with the state police; this resulted in the official establishment of Troop L. In October 1997, the New York State Capital Police was consolidated and absorbed into the state police.

Since February 1994, the agency has accepted DNA evidence for forensic investigation and analysis. The New York State Police Forensic Investigation Center (FIC) opened in November 1996. The Crime Laboratory performs DNA analysis for state investigations and for local law enforcement. It includes a new DNA Data Bank Section that compiles DNA records from violent felons sentenced to prison in New York State. These records can be searched and compared by computer to other evidence collected in unsolved crimes.[4]

In December 2019, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the New York State Park Police was to be merged with the New York State Police. The merger was expected to take about six months.[5] However, in January 2022, New York officials announced that the two police forces would remain separate.[6]

Since the establishment of the New York State Police, 140 troopers have died while on duty.[7]

Structure and organization

New York State Police building, Guilderland, New York


NY State Police unit at the scene of a motor vehicle accident, Delaware County, New York

The NYSP divides New York state geographically into eleven "Troops," each comprising a specific geographic area, usually several counties. Each is supervised by a "Troop Commander" usually of the rank of Major.[8] NYSP Troops cover the following counties and regions as listed:

Troop Region(s) Covered Counties Covered
A Buffalo Niagara Region
Eastern Great Lakes Region
Finger Lakes
Genesee Valley
Western New York
Western Southern Tier		 Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, Wyoming
B Adirondack Mountains
Champlain Valley
North Country
Thousand Islands		 Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Upper Hamilton, St. Lawrence
C Catskill Mountains
Central New York Region
Eastern Southern Tier
Finger Lakes
Mohawk Valley region
Penn-York Valley		 Broome, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Tioga, Tompkins
D Central New York
Mohawk Valley region
North Country
Tug Hill		 Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego
E Central Southern Tier
Eastern Great Lakes Region
Finger Lakes
Genesee Valley
Western New York		 Cayuga, Chemung, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, Yates
F Catskill Mountains
Hudson Valley (west) and Highlands
New York metropolitan area		 Greene, Orange, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster
G Adirondack Mountains
Capital District		 Albany, Fulton, Lower Hamilton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, Washington
K Hudson Valley (east) and Highlands
New York metropolitan area		 Columbia, Dutchess, Putnam, Westchester
L Long Island
New York metropolitan area		 Nassau, Suffolk
NYC Long Island
New York City
New York metropolitan area		 New York City (Bronx, Kings (Brooklyn), New York (Manhattan), Richmond (Staten Island), Queens)
T Capital District
Catskills
Central New York
Finger Lakes
Hudson Valley (west)
New York metropolitan area
Western New York		 New York State Thruway, (Interstate 84, 1991–2010)[9][notes 1]

Each Troop encompasses 2–4 "Zones" which are referred to simply by a Zone number. There are up to several "sub-stations" located within each zone.

Ranks

Rank Superintendent First Deputy Superintendent Deputy Superintendent (Colonel) Assistant Deputy Superintendent (Lieutenant Colonel) Staff Inspector Superintendent Major Captain Lieutenant Technical Lieutenant Chief Technical Sergeant Staff Sergeant First Sergeant Senior Investigator (plainclothes) Zone Sergeant Sergeant Station Commander Technical Sergeant Sergeant Investigator (plainclothes) Trooper
Insignia No insignia No insignia

Uniforms

Trooper uniforms are made of grey wool, with the exception of the Gore-Tex jacket. Prior to 1958, uniforms (shirts, jackets and britches) were woven of equal parts white fiber and black fiber to symbolize the impartiality of justice. The NYSP do not wear a badge on their uniform shirts.[10]

Equipment

As of January 2018, New York State Troopers are issued the Glock 21 Gen 4 .45 ACP semiautomatic pistol as their service pistol. New York State Troopers previously used the Glock 37 .45 GAP semiautomatic pistol from 2007 to 2018. The New York State Police used the Glock 17 9mm semiautomatic pistol from 1990 to 2007, the Glock 17 replaced the Smith & Wesson Model 686 (NYSP issued the Model 681).[11]

The New York State Police is one of only five state police agencies in the United States that, as of 2019, does not equip its state police vehicles with dashboard cameras. New York State Troopers starting on April 5, 2021 have started receiving body-worn cameras.[12]

Aviation

New York State Police helicopter parked at a helipad in New York City 2020

The New York State Police has three Bell 407 single engine utility helicopters, six Bell 430 twin engine helicopters, three Bell UH-1 “HUEY 2” Single engine utility helicopters and one UH-1H “HUEY 1” Single engine utility helicopter. Their other aircraft are two Cessna 206 Stationair Single engine airplanes, one Cessna 172 Single engine airplane, one Partenavia 68 Twin engine observation airplane, one Sikorsky S-76 (used for transporting the governor), and two Beech King Air twin engine turboprop airplanes. All of these aircraft operate under the call sign “GrayRider”.[13]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ NYSP Troop T was responsible for protecting Interstate 84 from 1991 to 2010 because the New York State Thruway Authority (NYSTA) maintained Interstate 84. However, due to the transfer of maintenance from NYSTA back to the NYSDOT in October 2010, NYSP Troop T no longer patrols Interstate 84 as patrolling duties were reassigned to Troop F and Troop K.

References

  1. ↑ "NYS DOB: FY 2018 Executive Budget | Agency Appropriations | State Police, Division of". www.budget.ny.gov. Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  2. ↑ "208 troopers graduate from NY State Police Academy".
  3. ↑ Van de Water, Frederic Franklyn (1922). Grey Riders: The Story of the New York State Troopers. Putnam's Sons.
  4. ↑ , Troopers, NY
  5. ↑ Slattery, Denis. "Gov. Cuomo says New York State Police will absorb State Park Police Officers in union-backed move". nydailynews.com.
  6. ↑ "Officials: New York State park police, troopers to stay separate". Newsday. Retrieved 2022-05-20.
  7. ↑ Down Memorial Page
  8. ↑ NYSP site http://www.troopers.ny.gov/Contact_Us/Troop_Information/
  9. ↑ Rife, Judy (October 11, 2010). "DOT takes over maintenance on I-84". Times Herald-Record. Middletown, NY. Retrieved October 13, 2010.
  10. ↑ Kidd, R. Spencer (2012). Uniforms of the U.S. State Police & Highway Patrols. lulu.com. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-4717-7729-5. OCLC 929822564.
  11. ↑ New York State Police to Purchase New Glock Pistol
  12. ↑ "N.Y. State Police lag behind agencies nationwide". Sentinel and Enterprise. Associated Press. 23 July 2019. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
  13. ↑ "Current Equipment". New York State Police. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
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