Philadelphia Highway Patrol
Encyclopedia
Philadelphia Police Department
The Philadelphia Police Department is the police agency responsible for law enforcement and investigations within the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
that shares a dual role as both the primary enforcers of traffic laws within the city and as a unique anti-crime task force.
Equipment and duties
The Highway Patrol uses a combination of traditional police cruisers and motorcycleMotorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
units to patrol limited-access and municipal roadways within the city limits of Philadelphia, encouraging rapid traffic flow and enforcing motor vehicle safety standards in line with its highway patrol
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...
mandate; however, the unit is also utilized as an elite high-crime task force, and is often sent into areas experiencing crime waves to perform massed patrols and searches. The Highway Patrol serves as a distinct and unique unit within the larger police department, and there are only a few other agencies within the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that perform a similar municipal service, most notably in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
.
Re-allocation
Because of the rampant high crime rates in 2005-2006, Mayor John F. StreetJohn F. Street
John Franklin Street was the 97th Mayor of the City of Philadelphia. He was first elected to a term beginning on January 3, 2000, and was re-elected to a second term beginning in 2004...
and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell
Ed Rendell
Edward Gene "Ed" Rendell is an American politician who served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania. Rendell, a member of the Democratic Party, was elected Governor of Pennsylvania in 2002, and his term of office began January 21, 2003...
announced that the Highway Patrol would be removed from interstate highways in Philadelphia, with motor vehicle enforcement being transferred over to the Pennsylvania State Police
Pennsylvania State Police
The Pennsylvania State Police is the state police force of Pennsylvania, responsible for statewide law enforcement. It was founded in 1905 by order of Governor Samuel Pennypacker, in response to the private police forces used by mine and mill owners to stop worker strikes and the inability or...
Troop K headquarters on Belmont Avenue. This includes I-76
Interstate 76 (east)
Interstate 76 is an Interstate Highway in the United States, running 435 miles from an interchange with Interstate 71 west of Akron, Ohio, east to Interstate 295 near Camden, New Jersey....
, I-95
Interstate 95 in Pennsylvania
Interstate 95 is an Interstate highway running from Miami, Florida north to Houlton, Maine. In the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the route is known by many as the Delaware Expressway, but is officially named The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway. and locally known as "95"...
, and I-676
Interstate 676
Interstate 676 is an Interstate Highway that serves as a major thoroughfare through Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where it is known as the Vine Street Expressway, and Camden, New Jersey, where it is known as the northern segment of the North–South Freeway, as well as the Martin Luther King Jr....
. In response, the members of the Fraternal Order of Police
Fraternal Order of Police
The Fraternal Order of Police is an organization of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. It claims a membership of over 325,000 members organized in 2100 local chapters , organized into local lodges, state lodges, and the national Grand Lodge...
have sued the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in both the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court and U.S. District Federal Court in Philadelphia
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is one of the original 13 federal judiciary districts created by the Judiciary Act of 1789...
in order to keep the interstate highways under Philadelphia Police jurisdiction. The Philadelphia Highway Patrol will concentrate on specialized patrols in high-crime area. The only non-Interstate Highway, a four-mile (6.4 km) Roosevelt Expressway
U.S. Route 1 in Pennsylvania
U.S. Route 1 is a major north–south U.S. Highway, extending from the Florida Keys in the south to the Canadian border in the north. In the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, US 1 runs for from the Maryland state line near Oxford to the New Jersey state line near Trenton.-Maryland to Interstate...
between I-76 and N. 9th Street, will still be patrolled by the Highway Patrol. The Expressway Patrol was formed to patrol the other major restricted access expressways and highways in Philadelphia, the Expressway Patrol is a division of the Traffic unit.
Appearance
In addition to its distinctive patch, worn opposite of the regular Philadelphia P.D. patch (district patrol officers wear the regular patch on the left sleeve, with no patch on the right sleeve), the members of the Highway Patrol also wear the so-called "50-Mission" unstiffened cap, instead of the 8-point stiff NYPD-style cap, the full Sam Browne BeltSam Browne belt
The Sam Browne belt is a wide belt, usually leather, which is supported by a strap going diagonally over the right shoulder. It is most often seen as part of a military or police uniform.-Origins:...
without cross strap, (cross strap added only on the Leather Coat and Blouse coat), and knee-high black "cavalry" boots and breeches instead of regular trousers and shoes. They also wear a double-breasted black leather coat instead of the regular nylon patrol jacket. This uniform style, which dates back to the 1920s when the Highway Patrol officers rode around on motorcycles for all patrols. Because of the mixed use of patrol cars and motorcycles today, the only "non-interchangeable" item is the cap, which is replaced with a safety helmet mandated for all motorcycle officers (although current Pennsylvania state laws allow civilians with proper training to ride helmetless on Pennsylvania roads ).
See also
- List of law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania
- Philadelphia Police DepartmentPhiladelphia Police DepartmentThe Philadelphia Police Department is the police agency responsible for law enforcement and investigations within the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
- NYPD Highway Patrol
- Boston Police Special Operations UnitBoston Police Special Operations UnitThe Boston Police Special Operations Unit is a specialized unit within the Boston Police Department responsible for combined duties involving Highway Patrol and traffic enforcement, crowd control, and special weapons and tactics services within the city.One unique feature of the unit is that the...