Mississippi Highway Patrol
Encyclopedia
The Mississippi Highway Patrol is the highway patrol
, acting state police
agency for Mississippi
, which has jurisdiction
over most of the state, and specializes in the patrol of state and federal highways in the State of Mississippi. It was formed in 1938 to enforce traffic laws on state and federal highways. It falls under the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. Sworn officers of the Highway Patrol are known as "State Troopers" and have the power to arrest for any crime committed in their presence state-wide.
The uniform was changed in the 1960s. Red piping replaced gold for the shirt epaulettes as well as bordering the dark blue stripe on the pants leg for all Troopers below the rank of Lieutenant. This led to the nickname “Red Leg” given to Mississippi Troopers, signifying that they are not upper echelon administrative employees, but rather “Road Men," troopers who worked enforcement on the highways.
During the 1966 Meredith Mississippi March for Freedom which registered over 3000 African Americans to vote in Mississippi, the Mississippi Highway Patrol escorted thousands of civil rights activists from Memphis TN to Jackson MS. Leaders of major civil rights organizations, Dr. Martin Luther King of the SCLC
(Southern Christian Leadership Conference), Floyd McKissick
of CORE
(Congress of Racial Equality) and Stokely Carmichael
of SNCC
(Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee) attended the protest. Guarded by the Mississippi Highway Patrol, the marchers were not attacked on their main route. The March concluded on June 26 with a rally of 15,000 people in Jackson, while over a thousand officers in the Mississippi Highway Patrol, National Guard, and local law enforcement agencies guarded the capitol building
.
In 2000 the Mississippi Highway Patrol appointed L.M. Claiborne to become the first African American Colonel of the Mississippi Highway Patrol. Colonel Claiborne began his career with the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol in December 1980, as a Trooper assigned to Troop H, Louisville, Mississippi. He was promoted to the rank of Trooper First Class in December 1985 and in December 1987 to the rank of Staff Sergeant assigned as the Accident Reconstructionist in Troops H and G. In March 1989, Colonel Claiborne was among the first Highway Patrol Officers to attend training for and become a Crime Scene Investigator with the rank of Sergeant First Class. Claiborne was then promoted to Captain over the training division where he served until his promotion to Colonel.
Another very important division to the Highway Patrol is the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations. It falls under the Mississippi Highway Patrol, and is staffed totally by State Troopers. Mississippi Bureau of Investigations (MBI) has been given general police powers, by statute (MS Code, 45-3-21). Trooper Investigators with MBI have the power to investigate any and all crimes committed in the State of Mississippi. Under the Bureau there are also many sub-divisions. These include Special Ops, Protective Services Unit, Salvage Inspection Unit, Victim Assistance Program, as well as the Mississippi Justice Information centers. MBI is considered State Police, however, by statute, they are supposed to only exercise those powers when it is deemed totally necessary, to benefit the public safety of the citizens of Mississippi.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol uses Ford Police Interceptors and Dodge Chargers in addition to its motorcycles, as well as Tahoes for K-9 units. SOG units use Ford Crown Victorias as well as F-150 through F-350 trucks. MBI uses unmarked Gray and Black Ford Police Interceptors.
The Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol has the highest percentage of African American
officers of any State Police Agency in the United States.
Highway patrol
A highway patrol is either a police unit created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways, or a detail within an existing local or regional police agency that is primarily concerned with such duties.Duties of highway patrols or traffic...
, acting state police
State police
State police are a type of sub-national territorial police force, particularly in Australia and the United States. Some other countries have analogous police forces, such as the provincial police in some Canadian provinces, while in other places, the same responsibilities are held by national...
agency for Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, which has jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
over most of the state, and specializes in the patrol of state and federal highways in the State of Mississippi. It was formed in 1938 to enforce traffic laws on state and federal highways. It falls under the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. Sworn officers of the Highway Patrol are known as "State Troopers" and have the power to arrest for any crime committed in their presence state-wide.
Brief history
The Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol (known as the "Highway Patrol") was created in 1938, with troopers first patrolling the highways on motorcycles. Automobiles were the principal evforcement vehicle in the 1940s and since. The original uniform worn by the Mississippi troopers was a gray shirt with navy blue epaulettes trimmed with gold. The shirt had an MHP patch only on the left shoulder, which was unlike the patch worn today. It was oval to almost round in shape with "Highway Safety Patrol" in gold around the upper perimeter. The center had the state seal and "Virtute et Armis", the state motto, in gold within a red scroll was around the lower perimeter. The trousers were light blue with a darker blue stripe down the leg bordered by gold piping. The shoulder patch was changed in 1956 to a different patch and was worn on both shoulders. The new patch was a curved side triangle displayed point down with "Mississippi" across the top, "Highway Patrol" immediately below it and "Virtute et Armis" along the two sides at the point.The uniform was changed in the 1960s. Red piping replaced gold for the shirt epaulettes as well as bordering the dark blue stripe on the pants leg for all Troopers below the rank of Lieutenant. This led to the nickname “Red Leg” given to Mississippi Troopers, signifying that they are not upper echelon administrative employees, but rather “Road Men," troopers who worked enforcement on the highways.
During the 1966 Meredith Mississippi March for Freedom which registered over 3000 African Americans to vote in Mississippi, the Mississippi Highway Patrol escorted thousands of civil rights activists from Memphis TN to Jackson MS. Leaders of major civil rights organizations, Dr. Martin Luther King of the SCLC
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is an African-American civil rights organization. SCLC was closely associated with its first president, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...
(Southern Christian Leadership Conference), Floyd McKissick
Floyd McKissick
Floyd Bixler McKissick was born in Asheville, North Carolina on March 9, 1922. He became the first African American student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Law School. In 1966 he became leader of CORE, the Congress of Racial Equality, taking over from James L. Farmer, Jr. A...
of CORE
Congress of Racial Equality
The Congress of Racial Equality or CORE was a U.S. civil rights organization that originally played a pivotal role for African-Americans in the Civil Rights Movement...
(Congress of Racial Equality) and Stokely Carmichael
Stokely Carmichael
Kwame Ture , also known as Stokely Carmichael, was a Trinidadian-American black activist active in the 1960s American Civil Rights Movement. He rose to prominence first as a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and later as the "Honorary Prime Minister" of the Black Panther Party...
of SNCC
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee ' was one of the principal organizations of the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. It emerged from a series of student meetings led by Ella Baker held at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina in April 1960...
(Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee) attended the protest. Guarded by the Mississippi Highway Patrol, the marchers were not attacked on their main route. The March concluded on June 26 with a rally of 15,000 people in Jackson, while over a thousand officers in the Mississippi Highway Patrol, National Guard, and local law enforcement agencies guarded the capitol building
Mississippi State Capitol
The Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson, Mississippi, is the state capitol building of the U.S. state of Mississippi, housing the Mississippi Legislature...
.
In 2000 the Mississippi Highway Patrol appointed L.M. Claiborne to become the first African American Colonel of the Mississippi Highway Patrol. Colonel Claiborne began his career with the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol in December 1980, as a Trooper assigned to Troop H, Louisville, Mississippi. He was promoted to the rank of Trooper First Class in December 1985 and in December 1987 to the rank of Staff Sergeant assigned as the Accident Reconstructionist in Troops H and G. In March 1989, Colonel Claiborne was among the first Highway Patrol Officers to attend training for and become a Crime Scene Investigator with the rank of Sergeant First Class. Claiborne was then promoted to Captain over the training division where he served until his promotion to Colonel.
The Academy
Entry into the ranks of the Mississippi Highway Patrol requires the completion of a 18 to 20 week training program held at the MS Law Enforcement Officers Training Academy. Typically over 500 applicants apply to each class, though only 100 cadets will begin the training. Less than 50 will graduate as Troopers. Academy curriculum includes academics, law, EVOC, first aid, physical training, boxing, ground fighting and advanced officer survival. The training places extreme pressure on each cadet to test his or her will to “Never Quit”. A sign in the classroom reads, “MORE SWEAT IN TRAINING LESS BLOOD ON THE HIGHWAY.” Cadets attend the academy at Pearl, MS, and live on the academy grounds sequestered from outside contact. Weekend leave may be granted upon completion of all academic and physical requirements. Weekend leave may also be canceled at any time at the request of the academy staff. Upon graduation, new Troopers are assigned to various counties throughout the state according to the needs of the Highway Patrol. Mississippi employs an average of 550 Troopers statewide.The Organization
The Mississippi Highway Patrol falls under the Department of Public Safety. The Colonel is the highest ranking officer in the Highway Patrol. Numerous departments exist within the patrol, including the Drivers License division, which is charged with the responsibility of testing and issuing drivers licenses to the residents of Mississippi. The patrol also provides a highly trained SWAT team equipped to respond to incidents throughout the state. The MHP also maintains a Special Operations Group, or SOG team, of approximately 80 troopers from all nine districts. The SOG team responds to civil disturbances, prison/jail uprisings, hurricane disasters or any emergency situation which would require more manpower than the SWAT team could provide. The SOG team is capable of deploying 100 troopers for 2 to 3 weeks without being resupplied. The patrol also hosts an 18 person Aggressive Traffic Enforcement and Motorcycles team, known as the A-TEAM. The A-TEAM is equipped with Harley Davidson police package motorcycles, and deploys to various counties to strictly enforce the traffic laws in areas with a high accident or fatality rate. The A-TEAM also provides escorts for VIPs and special events. Other departments include a drug interdiction team, motor carrier division, accident reconstruction team, honor guard detail, and training division.Another very important division to the Highway Patrol is the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations. It falls under the Mississippi Highway Patrol, and is staffed totally by State Troopers. Mississippi Bureau of Investigations (MBI) has been given general police powers, by statute (MS Code, 45-3-21). Trooper Investigators with MBI have the power to investigate any and all crimes committed in the State of Mississippi. Under the Bureau there are also many sub-divisions. These include Special Ops, Protective Services Unit, Salvage Inspection Unit, Victim Assistance Program, as well as the Mississippi Justice Information centers. MBI is considered State Police, however, by statute, they are supposed to only exercise those powers when it is deemed totally necessary, to benefit the public safety of the citizens of Mississippi.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol uses Ford Police Interceptors and Dodge Chargers in addition to its motorcycles, as well as Tahoes for K-9 units. SOG units use Ford Crown Victorias as well as F-150 through F-350 trucks. MBI uses unmarked Gray and Black Ford Police Interceptors.
District stations
- Troop C - Jackson, District 1
- Troop D - Greenwood, District 2
- Troop E - Batesville, District 3
- Troop F - New Albany, District 4
- Troop G - Starkville, District 5
- Troop H - Meridian, District 6
- Troop J - Hattiesburg, District 7
- Troop K - Biloxi, District 8
- Troop M - Brookhaven, District 9
Rank structure
- Colonel
- Lieutenant Colonel
- Major
- Captain
- Lieutenant
- Master Sergeant
- Sergeant First Class
- Staff Sergeant
- Sergeant
- Corporal
- Trooper First Class
- Trooper
- Cadet
Demographics
- Male: 98%
- Female: 2%
- White: 69%
- African-American/Black: 31%
The Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol has the highest percentage of African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
officers of any State Police Agency in the United States.
The Pistol Team
The Mississippi Highway Patrol is home to a world class pistol team. Led by Lt. Philip Hemphill, the pistol team has won numerous competitions in the United States. From 1962 to 2006 the Mississippi Highway Patrol has won the team competition at the National Police Shooting Championships 10 times, more than any other department in the nation. The Los Angeles Police Department and US Border Patrol follow with nine wins each. In 2009 MHP Capt. Hemphill set a record with his tenth win as overall champion in the National Police Shooter Competition.See also
- List of law enforcement agencies in Mississippi
- State policeState policeState police are a type of sub-national territorial police force, particularly in Australia and the United States. Some other countries have analogous police forces, such as the provincial police in some Canadian provinces, while in other places, the same responsibilities are held by national...
- State patrol
- Highway patrolHighway patrolA highway patrol is either a police unit created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways, or a detail within an existing local or regional police agency that is primarily concerned with such duties.Duties of highway patrols or traffic...