The Maryland State Police (MSP), officially the Department of Maryland State Police, is the official state police force of the U.S. state of Maryland. The Maryland State Police is headquartered at 1201 Reisterstown Road in the Pikesville CDP in unincorporated Baltimore County.
Organizational structure
The Maryland State Police is organized into a structure based on the United States military, composed of:
- Department of State Police (commanded by the Colonel)
- Bureaus (commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel)
- Commands (commanded by a Major)
- Troops (commanded by a Captain)
- Divisions (commanded by a Captain or Civilian Director)
- Barracks (commanded by a Lieutenant)
- Sections (commanded by a Captain or Lieutenant or Civilian Director)
- Units (commanded by a First Sergeant)
The Maryland State Fire Marshal is a member of the department and is charged with investigation and prosecution of suspicious fires and arson throughout the state.
Field Operations Bureau
The Field Operations Bureau (FOB) is the most visible component of the Maryland State Police. The FOB consists of four commands: the Eastern Command, Western Command, Special Operation & Transportation Command which together encompass the 22 barracks; the Special Operations Division (SOD), Automotive Safety Enforcement Division (ASED) and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division (CVED); and the Aviation Command. Seventy-five percent of MSP sworn personnel are assigned to the FOB.
In 2010 the state police:
- stopped 540,000 vehicles for motor vehicle law violations, issued over 360,000 citations.
- made 3,300 arrests for those in possession of controlled dangerous substances.
Field installations worked with the Motor Vehicle Administration implementing its warrant program in support of arresting wanted persons and reducing MSP statewide warrants.
- handled over 18,000 motor vehicle collisions, conducted over
16,900 criminal investigations and served 8,849 warrants.
- made 7,833 arrest for Driving Under the Influence, amounting to 34.6% of DUI arrests made statewide.
Homeland Security and Investigation Bureau
The Homeland Security and Investigation Bureau is divided into the Homeland Security Command and the Investigation Command.
Support Services Bureau
The Support Services Bureau is responsible for personnel administration including recruiting, retention, training, retirement, and benefits. It maintains the physical and technical infrastructure for the department. The bureau is currently commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Stewart Russell. Divisions include Facilities Management, Electronic Systems, Information Technology, Motor Vehicle, Quartermaster, Human Resources, Training, and Promotional Testing.
Office of Strategic Planning
The Office of Strategic Planning deals with all planning within the department. The bureau manages the Budget and Finance Division, Government Affairs Unit, Policing Division, Staff Inspections Section, and Planning and Research Division.
History
Until 1921, Maryland had no state-wide police force. In that year, in response to increasing crime, the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles organized a team of police officers who were given statewide jurisdiction to enforce traffic and criminal laws. They gained jurisdiction through deputization by county sheriffs. An associated plainclothes investigative unit became known as the "State Police Force."
In 1935, the Maryland State Police was established as a separate unit of state government, funded out of revenues from the Department of Commissioner of Motor Vehicles. It was granted additional statewide police powers to enforce fish, oyster, game and other conservation laws and maintain a training school. It was made part of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services in 1970.
In 1994, the Department of Maryland State Police was formed as a separate executive department; it was renamed the Department of State Police in 1995. Recent Superintendents have included David B. Mitchellfrom 1995 to 2003, Ed Norris from 2003 to 2004, Thomas E. Hutchins from 2004 to 2007, and Terrence Sheridan from 2007 to 2011. The current Superintendent is Marcus L. Brown, who was appointed on August 1, 2011 after serving as chief of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police since 2007.
In the history of the force, forty-three state troopers have been killed in the line of duty.
Jurisdiction
The Maryland State Police has jurisdiction throughout Maryland and may, in its discretion or at the request of any municipal agency, or when ordered by the Governor of the state of Maryland, exercise and enforce statewide laws without regard to jurisdiction within the boundaries of the state of Maryland. Otherwise, except under certain conditions as defined by statute, the agency does not enforce criminal laws within the jurisdiction of those incorporated municipalities which have their own police force.
The department also has the authority and jurisdiction to investigate allegations of police corruption concerning any municipal agency within the state. The department also enforces controlled substance laws throughout the state.
Uniform and equipment
The police uniform has remained the same since 1951. The standard uniform consists of olive pants with a black stripe down the side, a tan colored button-up shirt is worn, with long sleeves in winter and short sleeves in summer. A black tie is worn with the long-sleeve shirt. Some also wear black sweaters in cold weather. Class A uniforms consist of a dress blouse and Sam Browne belt. The ranks of trooper first class, corporal, sergeant, and first sergeant wear yellow chevrons showing their rank on both sleeves. Members of certain specialized units wear a military camouflage work uniform.
A felt Stetson hat is worn in the winter months with a long sleeve shirt and tie, and a straw Stetson is worn in the summer months with the short sleeve shirt.
Maryland State Police troopers are issued the Glock 22 chambered in 40 S&W and a Remington 870 shotgun. Qualified troopers are also issued the Colt M16-A1 or the Colt AR-15 semi-automatic rifles.
Vehicle Colors
The police patrol in marked or unmarked vehicles. Early marked patrol units were olive green with black fenders. Beginning in 1974, vehicles (including helicopters) were painted yellow. Beginning in about 1984 new vehicles were painted tan with black and olive side stripes from front to rear. In approximately 1996, the agency changed back to the historic colors, and painted vehicles with most horizontal surfaces olive green and most vertical surfaces black.
Training
The Maryland State Police Training Academy is in Sykesville, Maryland along with the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission. The academy is live-in and consists of twenty-six weeks of basic instruction.
Recruits take college-level academic classes for which they receive 45 college credits. Training includes instruction in the use of the agency's firearms as well as in criminal law, motor vehicle law and emergency vehicle operation. Vehicle training is conducted on the training commission's course.
Upon completion of training, troopers are assigned to one of twenty-two barracks located around Maryland. There troopers will complete an additional eight weeks of field training under the supervision of a Field Training Trooper (FTT).
Aviation Command
The agency operates a large Aviation Command focusing on medevac operations. Aviation also supports ground units of the state and local police. Funding comes from a vehicle registration surcharge ($13.50 per vehicle per year as of 2013) collected by the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration.
The command operates four types of aircraft. On October 20, 2010, Maryland State Police awarded a $71 million contract to AgustaWestland to provide six AW139helicopters. In 2013, the contract totaled 10 AW139s at a price of $121.7 million.
Helicopters
- 12 Aerospatiale/Eurocopter Dauphin helicopters
Fixed wing
The Aviation Command was instrumental in the support of the first trauma center in the USA, the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore.