State Patrol: What exactly do they do?

[groovybluedog]

Hello All,


Some of you will know me from chat, others will not. I'm 16 years old, British, and have ambitions to work with Dorset Police (my county) before migrating to America with a permanent residence green card to become a State Trooper with the Colorado State Patrol.


My current interpretation of State Troopers and State Patrols is that they only focus on the roads; enforcing the laws of the highways and the vehicles that pass over them. A large amount of media on State Patrols is with vehicles on the highways.


I prefer the type of policing where I respond to emergency calls of distress from the public. Is my interpretation correct, or do State Troopers handle emergency calls within their 'district' as well as dealing with the highways? If not, what 'type' of law enforcement does?


Thanks,


Lewis.

 

[crescentstar69]

Hey Lewis,


It depends on the state. Some states have state police, which can handle all law enforcement duties, usually in areas that do not have their own police forces. Other states like mine (Ohio) have state patrols.


Our troopers handle traffic enforcement and crash investigation, and often provide back-up for other agencies. Additionally, they handle security for the governor, and provide police services and investigate crimes at state facilities suck as prisons, highway rest stops, capitol building, etc. Other divisions of the state patrol handle commercial truck enforcement, driver's license examination, and school bus safety certification.


I may have missed a few things, but that is a general idea of how state agencies work. Good luck!

 

[EVT]

As the above poster said, it depends on the state.


I am curious why you are set on being a Trooper is you don't even really know what they do? Most Troopers work traffic/accidents but do assist other law enforcement agencies with emergencies as needed. States that have "State Police" do more of police work statewide, at least that is my impression.

 

[groovybluedog]

Thanks! What sort of law enforcement do I need to look into for emergency calls? If I recall correctly, isn't it State Patrol > County Sheriff > City Police? Thanks once again.

 

[BackYardSales]

Again, that depends on the state. In some states, the state police are the primary responding agency for all calls for police assistance in lesser populated areas. Some counties have very small departments, maybe only a handful of deputies. They may do some of the work, but depend on the state for back up and assistance on more serious matters.


Some smaller cities don't have police departments at all. They rely on the sheriff or the state police. Some cities and counties have combined agencies.

 

[crescentstar69]

It sounds like you are more interested on city or county police/sheriff agencies. They handle the "routine" police work.

 

[11b101abn]

IN most Southern states, no one trumps the county Sheriff.


A larger SO is where I would look if I were you , or an area w/ a county PD.

 

[FireEMSPolice]

IN most Southern states, no one trumps the county Sheriff.

Same in Ohio.


However, I found that most Sheriff's Office's are way to political, since your boss is elected, not appointed. I wish that would change.

 

[nluszcz]

But in northern states, the sheriff is an elected position that does pretty much nothing. If you happen to see a sheriff's car, it means he/she lives near you In NH and surrounding states, there is only state police and city/town police. There is no unincorporated county. Here in KY, the counties take up most of the space, with the town police being the jokes. (We have 1 cruiser in my town, which consists of 1 sq mile. And most of the town, you'll see the town SUV in the next city over 8 miles away, rather than in his 1 sq mile)

 

[Ben E.]

Everybody's pretty much hit the nail on the head, generally. State Patrol's usually do concentrate on enforcement of vehicle law and assisting motorists along state highways, however (at least in Iowa) they have statewide authority to enforce any law in any place. When I was a city officer, the Patrol would still assist us with regular types of calls, if they were in the area. If we had a large or particularly dangerous situation, we would sometimes call them to come from several counties away just so we could have extra officers on top of any responding city officers and the sheriff's deputies who were already there.


I used to want to be a trooper but after actually being a cop for several years, I came to realize that I thought being a trooper would get kinda tedious, as they do so much traffic enforcement. In my area of Iowa, when fully staffed, our state patrol assigns some troopers to JUST stay on Interstate 80 within 3 different counties for their entire 8-10 hour shift. Then they'd assign a "county" car which would patrol the state and county roads. ISP has been understaffed in my area for awhile so we usually never had a trooper in my area at all because the 1 or 2 that were working were assigned to stay on the interstate unless they were needed for assistance to another agency.

 

[Ben E.]

But in northern states, the sheriff is an elected position that does pretty much nothing. If you happen to see a sheriff's car, it means he/she lives near you In NH and surrounding states, there is only state police and city/town police. There is no unincorporated county. Here in KY, the counties take up most of the space, with the town police being the jokes. (We have 1 cruiser in my town, which consists of 1 sq mile. And most of the town, you'll see the town SUV in the next city over 8 miles away, rather than in his 1 sq mile)

That's pretty generalized. In both the counties that I worked in, both the Sheriff's did regular patrol at least some of the days, when they weren't stuck in the office doing administrative stuff for the Office. But, both counties were fairly "small" population wise, around 20000 people each, with each of the "bigger" (3000-5000 pop) cities having their own 5-9 man departments. The sheriff's office contracted law enforcement for all the remaining smaller towns who couldn't afford their own police department but still wanted regular patrol. Basically those towns would pay for X amount of contract hours per month.

 

[JazzDad]

If you saw some of the things Texas DPS troopers do, you'd think you were watching a world class military in action. Our folks work situations involving border security, which you would think is the bastion of the Border Patrol.

 

[jdh]

Here in Florida, they use to enforce commercial vehicals. I believe they merged with the FHP. There were also game wardens that had trucks labeled State Police or State Law Enforcement on the side with FWC (Fish and Wildlife Commission) plates. I believe they are a division of the EPA?????


Someone correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Klein]

If I recall correctly, isn't it State Patrol > County Sheriff > City Police? Thanks once again.

Technically yes in most states but also the peace officer can enforce laws in any part of the state. However, the quote, that is a mindset that you should not really have. To think that you are above other officers is not going to work in your favor. A cop is a cop is a cop. It is a brotherhood just like a FD. You are all there to do the same job just with different patches. I have three pending background packets as a speak: 1 as a deputy constable (texas being one of the only states where constables also enforce traffic laws and everything else that a regular police officer does), 1 with a municipal department and 1 with the university I went to. My first choice...the UPD position. They have some of the best benefits for officers, some of the best uniforms, best patrol cars and other choices for the officer. They also work well with the city and county deputy sherrifs (and even TXDPS) and none of them have the mindset that one is over the over. The school is in a very LE saturated area. The school is the best in the state for CJ which may lend to how professional and all the positive aspects of the UPD and other agencies in the area.

 

[BackYardSales]

Here in Florida,

Someone correct me if I am wrong.

I don't know about FL, but in the states I'm familiar with, Fish and Wildlife is a separate agency usually attached to whatever department that handles Natural Resources and hunting licenses and vehicle enforcement is connected with the state police, not the county. I have seen some city police departments that had their own weighmasters.


In some states, the Sheriff's Office handles the jail and Court Security in addition to the road patrol and criminal matters. In others, there is a separate Jailer that handles all jail and prisoner matters.

 

[mcpd2025]

I would be cautious to take advice from non law enforcement officers, like BackDoorSales, and get info from actual cops. Like everyone says, it depends on where you work and what unit within an agency.


In Maryland, the State Police have varied duties. Technically they can enforce any law in the state of Maryland. In the area I work, Troopers are assigned to patrol the 2 major roadways, the DC Capitol Beltway, and Rt 270. They can come on to local roads and enforce traffic, they can come run calls for service with us, they can make arrests... however the commander of the barracks doesn't want them to do that. In western Maryland, the Troopers run calls for service. Same agency, different duties expected. I thought I wanted to be a State Trooper, then I realized they get paid less, have less backup, can be assigned anywhere within the state and often have very limited duties. A big issue that I have with the agency is that you can be transferred to any barracks at any time for any reason. If I bought a house in eastern Maryland and they assigned me to work in western Maryland, thats a 5 hour commute to work. In my department, the furthest I could ever be assigned is 45 minutes from my house.


In general, if you want to do patrol type duties (run calls for service, investigate street level crimes, foot patrol, bike patrol, etc etc) you probably want to work for a city, township or county agency. Before you decide where you want to work, you need to research the department. I work for a county of over a million residents. Our department is about 1200 officers. We have patrol officers, dedicated traffic officers, plain clothes teams, drug units, district detectives, specialized detectives, an alcohol enforcement unit, training academy, a SWAT team, bicycle teams, etc. As a county officer, I can enforce any law within the county, and any felony in the state of Maryland.

 

[RJ*]

The thing to understand is that the USA is a federation. Every state has the power to make its own laws and rules, and run policing the way they want to. So there are 50 different answers to your question.


Also - as stated already - you would do well to get a few years of actual law enforcement experience before making statements like

I prefer the type of policing where I respond to emergency calls of distress from the public.

 

[Klein]

The thing to understand is that the USA is a federation. Every state has the power to make its own laws and rules, and run policing the way they want to. So there are 50 different answers to your question.

Also - as stated already - you would do well to get a few years of actual law enforcement experience before making statements like

I agree that the statement quoted by you from the OP is a little off but I think I understand what he means. I would imagine he would want to work in an area that has more crime and tends to be more dangerous as apposed to a department that has almost no crime ie: a community college officer or a small town would have "less crime/would be safer" as apposed to some areas of LA, Detroit or Houston/Harris county which are notorious for crime. Same situation can apply to working on an ambulance. I work for a 911 service and we run all emergency calls in the NW part of the county so everything from glucose checks to a multiple shooting call. Some medics would rather do non emergency transfers from the doctors office or home and visa versa. I would rather work 911 EMS anyday. It may be morbid to want to work in the setting where people are going to get hurt and some will die but I work well under stress and know that my knowledge of 911 EMS is better suited for 911 and not being a taxi between home and doctor office. Just not my cup of tea and more power to those that prefer transfers. The PDs I am trying to get hired with are busy and run all types of calls and crime. I like the action. I am trauma junkie and that is why I am sticking to that side of public safety. Sorry for the rant. OP...do your homework before you apply for a department. They may have some nice looking websites and fast talking recruiters that offer nice pay but make sure you research the area that they cover and see if the department does what you want to do. It is very time consuming having to apply to a PD. Don't waste your time. Do your HW.

 

[kitn1mcc]

in CT the CSP is the de facto police agency. they will actual go in to some of the smaller cities and towns to handle major crimes. there is also the resident state trooper program were you are the cop for the town .


Connecticut State Police - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[OSP959(R)]

Lewis,


I'm a retired Ohio State Trooper, While I can't tell you what exactly Colorado does, I can give you a heads up as to what what happens here in Ohio, and some difference between State Police, and State Highway Patrol.


Ohio is a State Highway Patrol.


As a State Trooper, you are assigned to your first post out of the academy. It's generally one of your first few choices to try and cut down on transfer requests. My first patrol post wasn't my first choice, and I eventually transferred to (2) other posts, only to eventually transfer myself right back to where I started :duh: . I was responsible for patrolling a single county at my 1st post, an inner city interstate system at my 2nd, and the 3rd post I transferred to covered (2) counties. As a Trooper, I had my own patrol car that I took home. I was suppose to leave it at the post on my days off, but almost never did. I was assigned a car at each post I went to, but some states assign cars to you when you graduate the academy.


An Ohio State Trooper is responsible for enforcing laws on all public highways, and any state owned or lease properties. Those properties include rest areas, state parks - beaches - campgrounds, state office buildings, bureau of motor vehicle and drivers license facilities, state colleges/universities, state prisons, and department of transportation facilities. Some people find out the hard way that Troopers can even enforce traffic laws within cities that have their own police department.


In addition, the State Highway Patrol is responsible for investigating all airplane crashes, no matter if they're in an area with it's own police department or not.


All agencies investigating traffic crashes are required by Ohio law to file those reports with the State Highway Patrol within 5-days, and the Highway Patrol will provide assistance to any agency when it comes to things such as traffic crash investigation.


The Highway Patrol is also responsible for new driver testing (but a trooper doesn't do that), and yearly inspection of school buses. The Highway Patrol maintains scale facilities for weighing trucks, as well as portable scale teams that do roadside weight checks.


I believe in most states, the state patrol or state police are responsible for motor vehicle inspections. Some states have inspection stations and require yearly inspections. Ohio does them randomly, which means an Ohio Trooper can pull you over for no other reason but to do a random vehicle inspection.


The Highway Patrol is responsible for responding to rioting/civil unrest. Typically, if an agency had a riot that they couldn't get under control by themselves or other local backup agencies, the agency could request assistance from the Highway Patrol. They can also be requested for crowd control if an agency is anticipating problems (protesters). The Highway Patrol would be the last resort before the National Guard (military) in the event of rioting.


The Highway Patrol has a plain clothes investigative unit in each district headquarters as well as, Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati. Those units investigate anything from crimes on state properties, prisons, auto-title fraud (stolen cars / chop shops), as well as anything the State of Ohio has an interest in ($$). When I retired, the patrol was getting more involved in internet crimes.


The Highway Patrol has a SRT (Special Response Team), and makes it available to other agencies as well.


The State Highway Patrol is responsible for the protection of the Governor and other dignitaries, and I've had the opportunities to be on both Governor and Presidential details.


The Highway Patrol has an aviation section with a few helicopters and several planes. They provide airspeed checks and other traffic enforcement support, as well as air support for searches. They even work with local agencies spotting marijuana plants from the air and directing ground units to them.


Troopers don't have jurisdiction on private property with the following exceptions:


* They have full police powers if they are backing up an agency that has legal authority to be there.


* They can go on to private property if they are witnessing domestic violence.


* They can go on private property for felonies.


Of course, they can go on private property if they are chasing someone, or if they have a warrant.


The difference between them and state police, is that the state police can handle crimes on private property, and the highway patrol cannot.


My suggestion is that if all you want to do is speed up and down the highway chasing taillights, get a job with a State Highway Patrol.


If you want to be involved in all aspects of law enforcement and investigate crimes on private property, join a State Police.


I was a part-time police officer before becoming a State Trooper. Looking back, I wish I would have moved to a state that had State Police. I worked in areas with a lot of state parks, so I was always able to find other things to do when I needed a little break from traffic enforcement.


Unless there's a lot of crashes to respond to...you can pretty much work at your own pace as a Highway Patrol Trooper. As a State Police Officer/Trooper, you're more at the mercy of the public that's calling the police.


If you contact the Colorado State Patrol, they will probably be more than happy to send you recruitment information:


Colorado State Patrol - Employment and Recruitment - Contact A Recruiter


I will warn you though, I've seen conflicts between State Police / Patrol agencies. Sometimes it's because of the type of person they perceive you to be because of the uniform you wear. Sometimes it's because of a bad experience they had. Fortunately, I was always lucky enough to get along with other departments. Just because you wear a uniform, doesn't mean other agencies will accept you in to the "brotherhood" though. A trooper can cover a large remote area with the only backup being a local police officer or deputy sheriff. I've never been ungrateful for backup from another agency, and I've never met an officer from another agency that wasn't grateful when I showed up. When you take a job that crosses other jurisdictions, you have to learn to make friends with the other departments and get along. <-- I know that's off topic from you're question, but it's advice worth remembering.

 

[RJ*]

I agree that the statement quoted by you from the OP is a little off but I think I understand what he means. I would imagine he would want to work in an area that has more crime and tends to be more dangerous as apposed to a department that has almost no crime ie: a community college officer or a small town would have "less crime/would be safer" as apposed to some areas of LA, Detroit or Houston/Harris county which are notorious for crime. Same situation can apply to working on an ambulance. I work for a 911 service and we run all emergency calls in the NW part of the county so everything from glucose checks to a multiple shooting call. Some medics would rather do non emergency transfers from the doctors office or home and visa versa. I would rather work 911 EMS anyday. It may be morbid to want to work in the setting where people are going to get hurt and some will die but I work well under stress and know that my knowledge of 911 EMS is better suited for 911 and not being a taxi between home and doctor office. Just not my cup of tea and more power to those that prefer transfers. The PDs I am trying to get hired with are busy and run all types of calls and crime. I like the action. I am trauma junkie and that is why I am sticking to that side of public safety. Sorry for the rant.

Yes, I agree - since you're already on the job and you know what you are talking about.


What I'm trying to say is: what I thought I wanted to do before I joined, and what I realised I actually want to do after I got onto the force are two different things.

 

[BackYardSales]

I will warn you though, I've seen conflicts between State Police / Patrol agencies. Sometimes it's because of the type of person they perceive you to be because of the uniform you wear. Sometimes it's because of a bad experience they had.

Notably, Florida Highway Patrol and Miami.

 

[JazzDad]

To OSP959®:


Very well written description! :thumbsup:

 

[OSP959(R)]

Thanks. Been there, done that, got a shirt.

 

[Ben E.]

Reading descriptions of other states makes me glad I'm in Iowa. ANY state certified peace officer (city, county, tribal, state patrol, State DNR, , County conservation, Gaming, DCI, Fire Marshals, etc...) all have the exact same authority as any other certified officer anywhere in the state. The only technicality being city officers can enforce local ordinance as well, and deputies being able to enforce county ordinances. Those are usually limited to juvenile curfews and parking issues, for the most part though.


I've been on calls as a city officer where my backup officers, through whatever strange series of events, were a State Trooper, Iowa DNR Officer, and a Commercial Motor Vehicle Enforcement officer, Sheriff's Deputy, or County Conservation officer. Any one of us 4 could have made the arrest and filed the charges. I've also had Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement agents, Gaming Enforcement agents, tribal officers (non-BIA) and Fire Marshals help me on calls. I think the only person that ever backed me up on a call that couldn't make an arrest on the particular incident was an FBI agent.

 

[calebsheltonmed23]

IN most Southern states, no one trumps the county Sheriff.

A larger SO is where I would look if I were you , or an area w/ a county PD.

The only person who can arrest the Sheriff in Missouri is the coroner. Little bit weird, but o'well. The Missouri State Highway Patrol's job is mainly to enforce traffic laws and crash investigations, along with other random advanced activities. They will go to a regular call every now and again (domestic, civil, animal), but they are trained for traffic enforcement. I recall a few months ago, one of the local troopers went to a domestic between 2 brothers. It ended up the same way as it would have if a deputy were to have taken it, but just more drawn out and not handled as well. Sit 1 down in 1 corner, the other in the other, work it out, and 1 of them leaves for the night if no injuries/charges. 15-20 minute ordeal. While deputies were on another domestic and a car theft case, the trooper went to the domestic. Trooper was there for about 1 and a half hours, and ended up having a deputy go out there later to fill out a report...no one wanted to file charges. Just an example, and there's always an exception to the rule, but the highway patrol is made for highways. lol

 

[Jtsou]

NC is pretty much like Ohio,


North Carolina has a state highway patrol agency, their primary focus is enforcing motor vehicle laws, investigating traffic crashes, and assisting the motoring public. The Motor Carrier Enforcement division(formally its own agency, then merged with the NCSHP) is responsible for safe travel of commercial motor vehicles. They also have helicopter divisions, motorcycle divisions, and executive protection divisions for the Governor


NC has Wildlife Resource Officers(game wardens) that are completely separate from the highway patrol, but they have arresting authority even on private property.

 

[11b101abn]

Same in Ohio.

However, I found that most Sheriff's Office's are way to political, since your boss is elected, not appointed. I wish that would change.

In MY experience, I have had no issues. The SO's I worked for were large enough that none of that crap really filtered down to patrol, and election day was just another day. Same traffic enforcement, warrant service, no changes.

 

[11b101abn]

The only person who can arrest the Sheriff in Missouri is the coroner. Little bit weird, but o'well. The Missouri State Highway Patrol's job is mainly to enforce traffic laws and crash investigations, along with other random advanced activities. They will go to a regular call every now and again (domestic, civil, animal), but they are trained for traffic enforcement. I recall a few months ago, one of the local troopers went to a domestic between 2 brothers. It ended up the same way as it would have if a deputy were to have taken it, but just more drawn out and not handled as well. Sit 1 down in 1 corner, the other in the other, work it out, and 1 of them leaves for the night if no injuries/charges. 15-20 minute ordeal. While deputies were on another domestic and a car theft case, the trooper went to the domestic. Trooper was there for about 1 and a half hours, and ended up having a deputy go out there later to fill out a report...no one wanted to file charges. Just an example, and there's always an exception to the rule, but the highway patrol is made for highways. lol

Spot on. In my career, I have found that the Troopers that will jump in and help the fastest are the ones that )1 have actual previous policing experience, 2) payed attention in the academy to instruction that didn't involve traffic enforcement, and 3) Young, dumb and full of bubblegum. I have yet to find one, though that was not willing to help if he could.


All around, GSP Troopers are a great bunch and honestly don't f*ck around. I mean shit, they PIT bad guys at speeds in excess of 100 MPH. Hilarity ensues. I envy their immunity status, too. GSP is known to bring and ass-whoopin' with them.

 

[BigWil]

If I was you, I'd consider Canada as well as the US. It'll be easier to deal with immigrations here, you won't need to give up your citizenship, as Canada allows new immigrants to be dual citizens. The process is a little easier here as well. My wife immigrated from the US, and my sister immigrated to the US from Canada. With my wife, we sent in the paperwork, no issues. My sister needed to get an immigration lawyer involved, it was a lot more difficult. If you want more information on Canada, let me know, and myself and a few other Canadians on the board will give you more info.

 

[hawkspringsfire]

I am sure you have already been to this website, but just in case you haven't.


Colorado State Patrol

 

[OSP959(R)]

around, GSP Troopers are a great bunch and honestly don't f*ck around. I mean shit, they PIT bad guys at speeds in excess of 100 MPH. Hilarity ensues. I envy their immunity status, too. GSP is known to bring and ass-whoopin' with them.

Ohio use to be that way. When I started in '90, people were most likely more intimidated by my gray uniform than me. But somewhere in the early 90's the patrol started turning in to the kinder-gentler highway patrol. No more pits, worried to much about civil liability and for a while had us using plastic flashlights so they couldn't be considered a weapon.


Now I'm not saying you should be allowed to beat people up, but when i was working as a police officer (pre-patrol), the patrol had a reputation of being polite, professional, and would kick your ass if you messed with them.


There was a time when violators weren't subdued, they got their asses kicked. But then, there was a day when kids weren't 'talked to', they were spanked

 

[JediTalen]

If I was you, I'd consider Canada as well as the US. It'll be easier to deal with immigrations here, you won't need to give up your citizenship, as Canada allows new immigrants to be dual citizens. The process is a little easier here as well. My wife immigrated from the US, and my sister immigrated to the US from Canada. With my wife, we sent in the paperwork, no issues. My sister needed to get an immigration lawyer involved, it was a lot more difficult. If you want more information on Canada, let me know, and myself and a few other Canadians on the board will give you more info.

Theres a great deal of Merit to this, the RCMP is a fine agency and they do many different things in the LE realm, this would bear further investigation on your part.

 

[groovybluedog]

If I was you, I'd consider Canada as well as the US. It'll be easier to deal with immigrations here, you won't need to give up your citizenship, as Canada allows new immigrants to be dual citizens. The process is a little easier here as well. My wife immigrated from the US, and my sister immigrated to the US from Canada. With my wife, we sent in the paperwork, no issues. My sister needed to get an immigration lawyer involved, it was a lot more difficult. If you want more information on Canada, let me know, and myself and a few other Canadians on the board will give you more info.

I have considered that, although I discarded my thoughts when I remembered they have Spanish as an additional primary language. The main reason I considered the US over other countries is the language factors more than anything.

 

[BigWil]

I have considered that, although I discarded my thoughts when I remembered they have Spanish as an additional primary language. The main reason I considered the US over other countries is the language factors more than anything.

Actually, French is the second additional language. However, unless you work in Quebec or certain areas of Ontario and New Brunswick, it's not really an issue. I'm an MP, and don't speak French...nor am I required to learn until I reach a very high rank.

 

[groovybluedog]

Actually, French is the second additional language. However, unless you work in Quebec or certain areas of Ontario and New Brunswick, it's not really an issue. I'm an MP, and don't speak French...nor am I required to learn until I reach a very high rank.

Where the hell I got Spanish from, I have no idea. Unless an idiot put Spanish up on Wikipedia at the time I read it. Interesting. What is the structure of law enforcement over there? Is it really 'deep' like US or is it more simplistic like UK forces (we have one force per county)?


Thanks!

 

[BigWil]

Where the hell I got Spanish from, I have no idea. Unless an idiot put Spanish up on Wikipedia at the time I read it. Interesting. What is the structure of law enforcement over there? Is it really 'deep' like US or is it more simplistic like UK forces (we have one force per county)?

Thanks!

We are kind of in between. The RCMP are the national police service, and they do a lot of federal stuff. They also contract for municipal and rural policing in many provinces. In Ontario and Quebec, they have provincial police services that do the highway enforcement, rural policing, and municipal contract policing. There are also many larger municipalities that have their own police services. Generally, there isn't 2 agencies working the same area, with the exception of highway enforcement through some municipalities.

 

[groovybluedog]

We are kind of in between. The RCMP are the national police service, and they do a lot of federal stuff. They also contract for municipal and rural policing in many provinces. In Ontario and Quebec, they have provincial police services that do the highway enforcement, rural policing, and municipal contract policing. There are also many larger municipalities that have their own police services. Generally, there isn't 2 agencies working the same area, with the exception of highway enforcement through some municipalities.

Thank you for this useful information. What agency/service would I need to look into with my desire to respond to emergencies and public calls for help? My love of policing lies in such an area, rather than just highway enforcement or similar.

 

[BigWil]

That would depend on what type of area you want to police. The RCMP and OPP both do highway enforcement, but they also respond to calls for service. If you want to do municipal policing, look at bigger cities, like Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, etc. The RCMP actually has one of the best mixes of areas, and they have a lot of opportunity to look at different areas of policing. Drug units, computer crimes, fraud, counterfeiting, import/export stuff in conjunction with CBSA, forensics, and so on.

 

[11b101abn]

Theres a great deal of Merit to this, the RCMP is a fine agency and they do many different things in the LE realm, this would bear further investigation on your part.

Roger.


The RCMP is actually deployable, and my understanding is they have been and/or are in Iraq and Asscrackistan. A TRUE Paramilitary Policing entity.