Alabama Department of Public Safety
Encyclopedia
The Alabama Department of Public Safety is a law enforcement agency serving the U.S. state
of Alabama
. It is made up of six divisions: Administrative Division, Alabama Bureau of Investigation, Driver License, Highway Patrol, Protective Services Division, and Service Division.
On January 17, 2011, Hugh B. McCall was appointed to the position of Colonel of the Alabama Department of Public Safety by Governor Robert Bentley, making him the first African-American to head the agency.
The Alabama Bureau of Investigation is the investigative branch of the Alabama Department of Public Safety. The ABI provides investigation services in support of other members of the criminal justice system in Alabama. In addition to criminal investigations, the ABI also provides fingerprint services and a bomb squad, as well as the Alabama Fusion Center. The ABI is not a first responder agency and investigations are conducted upon request by a criminal justice agency. Members of the ABI also provide law enforcement services for operations with the other DPS divisions, such as in times of natural disaster and other special details.
The Alabama Highway Patrol is a division of the Alabama Department of Public Safety and is the highway patrol agency for Alabama, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state. It was created to protect the lives, property and constitutional rights of people in Alabama.
In 1971, the Alabama Highway Patrol became the first U.S. police organization to use down-sized vehicles for regular highway patrol duties when they purchased 132 AMC Javelin
s. This pre-dated, among others, the Camaros and Mustangs used by other departments years later.
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 Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. It is made up of six divisions: Administrative Division, Alabama Bureau of Investigation, Driver License, Highway Patrol, Protective Services Division, and Service Division.
History
The Alabama Department of Public Safety began as the Alabama Highway Patrol on December 5, 1935. The Highway Patrol was renamed the Department of Public Safety on March 8, 1939 and then included 4 divisions: Highway Patrol, Driver License, Accident Prevention Bureau, and Mechanical and Equipment.On January 17, 2011, Hugh B. McCall was appointed to the position of Colonel of the Alabama Department of Public Safety by Governor Robert Bentley, making him the first African-American to head the agency.
Rank Structure
The Alabama Department of Public Safety rank structure is as listed:| Rank | Insignia |
|---|---|
| Colonel Colonel Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures... |
 |
| Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence... |
 |
| 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... |
 |
| 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.... |
 |
| Corporal Corporal Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4.... |
 |
| Agent Special agent Special agent is usually the title for a detective or investigator for a state, county, municipal, federal or tribal government. An agent is a worker for any federal agency, and a secret agent is one who works for an intelligence agency.... |
 |
| 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... |
|
Divisions
- Administrative Services
- Driver License
- Investigations
- Highway Patrol
- Protective Services
- Service
Fallen officers
Since the establishment of the Alabama Department of Public Safety, 28 officers have died in the line of duty. The following list also contains officers from when the Alabama Department of Public Safety was the Alabama Highway Patrol.| Officer | Date of Death | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Patrolman Maury Young | |
Motorcycle accident |
| Patrolman William D. Raiford Sr. | |
Motorcycle accident |
| Patrolman Arvil O. Hudson | |
Vehicle pursuit |
| Patrolman Henry Preston Bryant | |
Vehicle Pursuit |
| Patrolman Julian F. Draughon | |
Motorcycle accident |
| Patrolman Howard Brock | |
Vehicle pursuit |
| Patrolman Joe F. Partin | |
Motorcycle accident |
| Patrolman Anthony Scozzaro | |
Automobile accident |
| Captain Thomas E. Maxwell | |
Automobile accident |
| Sergeant Raymond M. Carlton | |
Automobile accident |
| Trooper Randolph G. Glover | |
Automobile accident |
| Trooper Brooks D. Lawson | |
Struck by train |
| Corporal Thomas O. Gillilan | |
Gunfire |
| Corporal Harlan B. Blake | |
Vehicle pursuit |
| Auxiliary Trooper Ormand Franklin Watkins | |
Gunfire |
| Corporal Riley Delano Smith | |
Electrocuted |
| Trooper James B. Robinson | |
Gunfire |
| Trooper Bobby S. Gann | |
Gunfire |
| Trooper Kenyon M. Lassiter | |
Vehicular assault |
| Sergeant Julian Douglas Stuckey | |
Automobile accident |
| Trooper Johnnie Earl Booker | |
Automobile accident |
| Trooper David E. Temple | |
Gunfire |
| Trooper Simmie L. Jeffries | |
Automobile accident |
| Trooper Larry D. Cawyer | |
Automobile accident |
| Trooper Elizabeth S. Cobb | |
Gunfire |
| Trooper Robert William Jones | |
Automobile accident |
| State Trooper Willis Von Moore | |
Automobile accident |
| Trooper Brian Keith Nichols | |
Automobile accident |
Alabama Bureau of Investigation
Highway Patrol
Alabama Highway PatrolAlabama Highway Patrol
The Alabama Highway Patrol is a division of the Alabama Department of Public Safety and is the highway patrol agency for Alabama, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state. It was created to protect the lives, property and constitutional rights of people in Alabama.In 1971, the Alabama Highway...
The Alabama Highway Patrol is a division of the Alabama Department of Public Safety and is the highway patrol agency for Alabama, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state. It was created to protect the lives, property and constitutional rights of people in Alabama.
In 1971, the Alabama Highway Patrol became the first U.S. police organization to use down-sized vehicles for regular highway patrol duties when they purchased 132 AMC Javelin
AMC Javelin
The Javelin was a production version of one of the AMC AMX prototypes shown during the 1966 AMX project nationwide tour. Intended to rival other pony cars such as the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro. American Motor's Javelin debuted on 22 August 1967, for the 1968 model year...
s. This pre-dated, among others, the Camaros and Mustangs used by other departments years later.
Protective Services Division
The Protective Services Division consists of the State Capitol Police Unit, the Executive Security Unit, and the Governor's Mansion Security Detail.See also
- List of law enforcement agencies in Alabama
- 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...