Arizona Department of Public Safety in the USA is a law enforcement agency with its usual focus being protection of all Arizona highways. Its headquarters are in Phoenix.
History
Following legislation in 1968, the Arizona Department of Public Safety was established by the executive order of Arizona Governor Jack Williams on July 1, 1969. This order amalgasmated the functions and responsibilities of the Arizona Highway Patrol, the Law Enforcement Division of the state Department of Liquor Licenses and Control and the Narcotics Division of the state Department of Law.
In its 30-plus years of service, the department has become an organization dedicated to protecting and providing state-level law enforcement services to the public and developing partnerships with agencies sharing similar missions.
The department consists of three divisions - Highway Patrol, Criminal Investigations, Technical Services. Together these three divisions provide scientific, technical, operational and regulatory services to Arizona residents and to the state's criminal justice community;one of the more famous subdivisions of the Criminal Investigations Division is the Gang and Immigration Intelligence Team Enforcement Mission task force (better known as "GIITEM"), which was formed to combat the growing gang infestation problems mainly in Maricopa County (the Phoenix area), even though their jurisdiction is (like the AZ/HP) statewide.
The vehicle of choice for the Arizona DPS/HP is the Ford Crown Victoria with the Police Interceptor package, Ford Explorer, Ford Taurus, and the Chevy Tahoe police package SUV. The department issue weapons are, for handguns, Sig Sauer P226 chambered in .40 S&W (or the alternative issue Sig Sauer P229 in 40 S&W), for long guns, the Patrol rifle 223 caliber Colt AR15A2 Colt M16A2 or Colt M4 supplied with fifteen 30 round magazines and the 12 gauge Remington 870 shotguns.
Arizona Highway Patrol
The Arizona Highway Patrol is divided into 12 districts:
Aviation Bureau
The Aviation Section consists of four Air Rescue helicopter units, a fixed-wing Air Support unit, an Aircraft Maintenance unit, and administrative staff.
Commercial Vehicle Enforcement
The Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Bureau enforces rules and regulations regarding the operation of commercial vehicles on the roads and highways of Arizona. The emphasis is on vehicle safety, driver safety, and proper authority and compliance for vehicles operating in commerce.
DUI Enforcement Unit
The DUI Enforcement Unit investigates drug and alcohol impaired drivers, and provides support to Highway Patrol, local and county agencies through training and logistical support.
Vehicular Crimes Unit
The Vehicular Crimes and Reconstruction Unit provides investigative expertise and court testimony when a vehicle is connected to a homicide.
Criminal Investigation Division (CID)
The Criminal Investigations Division provides investigative, enforcement and high risk response support to federal, state and local criminal justice agencies. The CID conducts investigations regarding narcotic trafficking, organized crime, intelligence, vehicle theft, gangs, computer and financial crimes, as well as major crime investigations when requested by other criminal justice agencies. It operates a geographic information system (GIS) mapping center for the Department of Public Safety and makes data available to other agencies in Arizona.
The CID is responsible for the protection of the Governor and provides High Risk Response to acts of extraordinary violence and domestic preparedness incidents.
There are five bureaus within the Criminal Investigations Division:
- Narcotics/Organized Crime
- Investigation
- Intelligence
- Gang Enforcement (GITEM)
- Rocky Mountain Information Network (RMIN).
Office of the Director
The Office of the Director provides assistance to the Arizona Department of Public Safety through administrative services such as crime victim services, management services promoting efficiency of government, media relations, research and planning, legal services, investigation of employee misconduct, internal and external management audits, coordination of financial and human resource services.
Technical Services (TSD)
The Technical Services Division develops and coordinates scientific, technical, regulatory and support services by providing scientific analysis and criminal justice support to Arizona’s criminal justice agencies. CJSD also develops, operates, and maintains the data processing and data/voice communications systems statewide and operates facilities management and logistical support.