The Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) is the 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...

 force of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, responsible for statewide law enforcement. It was founded in 1905 by order of Governor

Governor

A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...

 Samuel Pennypacker

Samuel W. Pennypacker

Samuel Whitaker Pennypacker was the 23rd Governor of Pennsylvania from 1903 to 1907.-Biography:Gov. Pennypacker was born in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, April 9, 1843; son of Dr. Isaac A. Pennypacker and Anna Maria Whitaker; grandson of Matthias and Sarah Anderson , and of Joseph and Grace Whitaker...

, in response to the private police forces used by mine and mill owners to stop worker strikes (the Coal and Iron Police

Coal and Iron Police

The Coal and Iron Police was a private police force in the United States established by the Pennsylvania General Assembly but employed and paid by the various coal companies. The origins of the Coal and Iron Police begin in 1865...

) and the inability or refusal of local police

Police

The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...

 or sheriff

Sheriff

A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....

s offices to enforce the law. PSP enlisted members are referred to as "troopers". As of 2006, it has 4,545 state troopers and more than 1,600 civilian support staff.