New York State Police
Encyclopedia
The New York State Police (NYSP) is the state police
force of over 4,600 sworn Troopers for the state
of New York
. It was established on April 11, 1917 by the New York Legislature
, in response to the 1913 murder
of a construction foreman named Sam Howell in Westchester County
, which at that time did not have a local police department.
The department's first superintendent was George Fletcher Chandler, who was responsible for much of the department's early organization and development. Chandler coined the term "New York State Troopers" and was an early advocate of officers carrying their weapon
s exposed on a belt, which was not common practice at the time. They are responsible for protecting the Governor of New York
and the Lieutenant Governor of New York
.
, replaced acting superintendent Preston Felton. Felton had replaced the retired Wayne E. Bennett. Corbitt announced his resignation on March 2, 2010, amid controversy. The interim Superintendent has also stepped down citing unease among labor unions. Two superintendents stepped down from the state police in 6 days.
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.
ADMINISTRATIVE
UNIFORMED TROOPERS
BUREAU OF CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION (BCI)
PORTABLES
SPECIAL UNITS
jacket. Prior to 1958, uniforms (shirts, jackets and britches) were not grey, but made of equal parts white fiber and black fiber to symbolize the impartiality of justice. Like a U.S. Flag
, trooper uniforms are burned when no longer serviceable. The black stripe down the leg of the trouser is worn in remembrance of fallen comrades. The purple color of the tie and hat band represents an elite unit, and is similar to those worn by the Praetorian Guard
. Troopers wear a wool open road stetson
with a leather security strap and purple band around it.
Rank insignia
Chevrons are black on a gray background and are worn on the upper sleeves of both the shirt and the jacket. Rank insignia for Technical Lieutenant through Superintendent are worn on the collars of the shirt and the shoulders of the jacket.
. Recruits must then complete 10 weeks post academy field training with a trained field training officer (FTO) holding the rank of trooper prior to permanent troop assignment.
as the service pistol
. The New York State Police previously used the Glock 17 from 1989 to 2007. The Glock 37 was chosen after the shooting death of Trooper Andrew Sperr in Chemung County
on March 1, 2006.
The State Police's vehicle fleet is primarily made up of Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor
s. It also uses for routine patrol, Dodge Chargers, Ford Expeditions and Chevrolet Tahoe
s. For special occasions they use Chevrolet Camaro
s, Ford Mustang
s, and Harley Davidson motorcycles
. All marked cars are painted dark blue with yellow reflective decals.
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...
force of over 4,600 sworn Troopers for the state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. It was established on April 11, 1917 by the New York Legislature
New York Legislature
The New York State Legislature is the term often used to refer to the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York. The New York Constitution does not designate an official term for the two houses together...
, in response to the 1913 murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of a construction foreman named Sam Howell in Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
, which at that time did not have a local police department.
The department's first superintendent was George Fletcher Chandler, who was responsible for much of the department's early organization and development. Chandler coined the term "New York State Troopers" and was an early advocate of officers carrying their weapon
Weapon
A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...
s exposed on a belt, which was not common practice at the time. They are responsible for protecting the Governor of New York
Governor of New York
The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...
and the Lieutenant Governor of New York
Lieutenant Governor of New York
The Lieutenant Governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the government of New York State. It is the second highest ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket with the governor for a four year term...
.
Superintendent
Joseph D'Amico became superintendent of the New York State Police in January, 2011. He replaced John Melville, who was acting superintendent replacing Harry J. Corbitt. Corbitt, who was nominated by former New York State Governor David PatersonDavid Paterson
David Alexander Paterson is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of New York, from 2008 to 2010. During his tenure he was the first governor of New York of African American heritage and also the second legally blind governor of any U.S. state after Bob C. Riley, who was Acting...
, replaced acting superintendent Preston Felton. Felton had replaced the retired Wayne E. Bennett. Corbitt announced his resignation on March 2, 2010, amid controversy. The interim Superintendent has also stepped down citing unease among labor unions. Two superintendents stepped down from the state police in 6 days.
Structure and organization
The NYSP divides New York state geographically into ten "Troops," each comprising a specific geographic area, usually several counties. Each is supervised by a "Troop Commander" usually of the rank of Major.- Troop A - Counties: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming
- Troop B - Counties: Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton and St. Lawrence
- Troop C - Counties: Broome, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Tioga and Tompkins
- Troop D - Counties: Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga and Oswego
- Troop E - Counties: Cayuga, Chemung, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne and Yates
- Troop F - Counties: Greene, Orange, Rockland, Sullivan and Ulster
- Troop G - Counties: Albany, Fulton, Hamilton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren and Washington
- Troop H - Headquarters Troop (Albany) and Legislative Branch Offices
- Troop K - Counties: Columbia, Dutchess, Putnam and Westchester
- Troop L - Counties: Nassau and Suffolk
- Troop NYC - Counties: Bronx, Kings, New York, Richmond, and Queens
- Troop T - New York State Thruway and the Erie Canal System
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.
Car Numbers
A patrol car number will contain the Troop and Zone or group prefix: for example, car 1A30 would be a patrol car in Zone 1 of Troop A. Prefix numbers 1 through 4 are used for geographic patrol zones, while 5 is used by BCI Investigators, 6 by Portables, 7 by other local agencies dispatched by NYSP, 8 by special state units (e.g. State Park Police), and 9 by dispatchers. Cars not carrying prefixes, for instance K55, are Troop Headquarters cars. The New York State Police also use a standard number-blocking system to identify the type of unit carrying a particular number:ADMINISTRATIVE
- L1 - Major
- L2-L4 - Captains
- L5 - Bureau of Criminal Investigation Captain
- L10-L49 - Troop Administration - Marked cars
- L50-L69 - Troop Administration - Unmarked cars
- L70-L89 - Miscellaneous Administration
- L90-L99 - Troop Communications
- L101-L109 - Traffic Incident Management Team
UNIFORMED TROOPERS
- 1L1 - Lieutenant
- 1L10-1L49 - Marked Cars
- 1L50-1L79 - Unmarked Cars
- 1L80-1L89 - Miscellaneous Units
BUREAU OF CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION (BCI)
- L5 - BCI Captain
- 5L1 - BCI Lieutenant
- 51L5-5L24 - BCI Senior Investigators
- 51L25-5L199 - BCI Investigators
PORTABLES
- 6L1-6L99 - Administrative Portables
- 6L100-6L499 - Trooper Portables
- 6L500-6L599 - BCI Portables
SPECIAL UNITS
- Henry (H) - State P.D. Headquarters Division
- John (J) - State P.D. Narcotics Units
- Mary (M) - State P.D. Major Crimes Units
- Nora (N) - State Environmental Conservation P.D.
- Paul (P) - Department of Corrections
- Robert (R) - State P.D. Communications Division
- Sam (S) - State P.D. Special Investigations Units
- Victor (V) - State P.D. Violent Felony Warrant Squad
- X-Ray (X) - State P.D. Governor's Protection Unit
Uniforms
Trooper uniforms are made of grey wool, with the exception of the Gore-TexGore-Tex
Gore-Tex is a waterproof/breathable fabric, and a registered trademark of W. L. Gore and Associates. It was co-invented by Wilbert L. Gore, Rowena Taylor, and Gore's son, Robert W. Gore. Robert Gore was granted on April 27, 1976, for a porous form of polytetrafluoroethylene with a...
jacket. Prior to 1958, uniforms (shirts, jackets and britches) were not grey, but made of equal parts white fiber and black fiber to symbolize the impartiality of justice. Like a U.S. Flag
Flag of the United States
The national flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows...
, trooper uniforms are burned when no longer serviceable. The black stripe down the leg of the trouser is worn in remembrance of fallen comrades. The purple color of the tie and hat band represents an elite unit, and is similar to those worn by the Praetorian Guard
Praetorian Guard
The Praetorian Guard was a force of bodyguards used by Roman Emperors. The title was already used during the Roman Republic for the guards of Roman generals, at least since the rise to prominence of the Scipio family around 275 BC...
. Troopers wear a wool open road stetson
Stetson
Stetsons are the brand of hat manufactured by the John B. Stetson Company of St. Joseph, Missouri.Stetson eventually became the world’s largest hat maker, producing over 3.3 million hats a year in a factory spread over . Today Stetson remains a family-owned concern...
with a leather security strap and purple band around it.
Rank insignia
| Title | Insignia |
|---|---|
| Superintendent Superintendent (police) Superintendent , often shortened to "super", is a rank in British police services and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries the full version is superintendent of police... |
 |
| First Deputy Superintendent |  |
| Deputy Superintendent/Colonel |  |
| Assistant Deputy Superintendent/Lieutenant Colonel |  |
| Staff Inspector | |
| Major Major Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ... |
 |
| Captain Police captain - France :France uses the rank of capitaine for management duties in both uniformed and plain-clothed policing. The rank comes senior to lieutenant and junior to commandant.... |
 |
| Lieutenant Lieutenant A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank... |
 |
| Technical Lieutenant |  |
| Chief Technical Sergeant |  |
| Staff Sergeant |  |
| First Sergeant |  |
| Senior Investigator (plainclothes) | |
| Zone Sergeant |  |
| Sergeant Station Commander |  |
| Technical Sergeant |  |
| Sergeant Sergeant Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent.... |
 |
| Investigator Detective A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"... |
|
| Trooper Trooper (police rank) Trooper is a rank used by several civilian police forces in the United States. In its plural form, troopers, it generally refers to members of state highway patrol or state police agencies, even though those officers may not necessarily be of the rank of trooper.For example, in the Louisiana State... |
|
Chevrons are black on a gray background and are worn on the upper sleeves of both the shirt and the jacket. Rank insignia for Technical Lieutenant through Superintendent are worn on the collars of the shirt and the shoulders of the jacket.
Training
Recruits must complete a twenty-six week training academy prior to being appointed as a Trooper. This academy is among one of the toughest in the country. The residential school is located at the NYSP Academy in Albany, New YorkAlbany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
. Recruits must then complete 10 weeks post academy field training with a trained field training officer (FTO) holding the rank of trooper prior to permanent troop assignment.
Equipment
Officers of the New York State Police are issued the Glock 37 chambered in .45 GAP.45 GAP
The .45 G.A.P. pistol cartridge was designed by Ernest Durham, an engineer with CCI/Speer, at the request of firearms manufacturer Glock to provide a cartridge that would equal the power of the .45 ACP but was shorter to fit in a more compact handgun, and with a stronger case head to reduce the...
as the service pistol
Service pistol
A service pistol is any handgun issued to military personnel.Typically service pistols are revolvers or semi-automatic pistols issued to officers, non-commissioned officers and rear-echelon support personnel for self defense, though service pistols may also be issued to special forces as a backup...
. The New York State Police previously used the Glock 17 from 1989 to 2007. The Glock 37 was chosen after the shooting death of Trooper Andrew Sperr in Chemung County
Chemung County, New York
Chemung County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the 'Elmira, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses all of Chemung County. As of the 2010 census, the population was 88,830. Its name is derived from the name of a Delaware Indian village . Its...
on March 1, 2006.
The State Police's vehicle fleet is primarily made up of Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor
Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor
Though the name has been officially in use since 1992, the 1978–1991 full-size LTDs and LTD Crown Victorias and 1992 updated body style used the "P72" production code designation for both fleet/taxi and police models, with the model itself being internally classified as S...
s. It also uses for routine patrol, Dodge Chargers, Ford Expeditions and Chevrolet Tahoe
Chevrolet Tahoe
The Chevrolet Tahoe are full-size SUVs from General Motors. Chevrolet and GMC sold two different-sized SUVs under their Blazer/Jimmy model names through the early 1990s. This situation changed when GMC rebadged the full-size Jimmy as the Yukon in 1992...
s. For special occasions they use Chevrolet Camaro
Chevrolet Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro is an automobile manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand, classified as a pony car and some versions also as a muscle car. It went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed as a competing model to the Ford Mustang...
s, Ford Mustang
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is an automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company. It was initially based on the second generation North American Ford Falcon, a compact car. Introduced early on April 17, 1964, as a "1964½" model, the 1965 Mustang was the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A...
s, and Harley Davidson motorcycles
Police motorcycle
A police motorcycle is a motorcycle used by various police forces and departments. They may be custom designed to meet the requirements unique of a particular use. A police motorcycle is often called a "motor" by police officers in the United States...
. All marked cars are painted dark blue with yellow reflective decals.
Fallen officers
Since the establishment of the New York State Police, 116 officers have died in the line of duty. Recent deaths include:| Officer | Date of Death | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Trooper Robert G. Dunning | Sunday, June 14, 1987 | Gunfire |
| Trooper Lawrence P. (Larry) Gleason | Monday, February 11, 2002 | Gunfire |
| Trooper Andrew J. (A.J.) Sperr | Wednesday, March 1, 2006 | Gunfire |
| Trooper Joseph Anthony Longobardo | Sunday, September 3, 2006 | Gunfire |
| Trooper David Brinkerhoff | Wednesday, April 25, 2007 | Gunfire (accidental) |
| Trooper David J. Lane | Wednesday, November 4, 2009 | Automobile accident |
| Trooper Jill Mattice | Wednesday, January 20, 2010 | Automobile Accident |
| Trooper Kevin P. Dobson | Saturday, March 26, 2011 | Struck by Vehicle |
See also
- List of law enforcement agencies in New York
- State trooper
- 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...