South Carolina Highway Patrol
| South Carolina Dept. Of Public Safety | |
|---|---|
| Common name | Highway Patrol |
| Abbreviation | SCHP |
Patch of the South Carolina Dept. Of Public Safety
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| Motto | Courtesy-Efficiency-Service |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1930 |
| Employees | 1100+ (as of 2008) |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | State of South Carolina, USA |
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| SCHP Troop Map | |
| Size | 32,020 square miles (82,900 km2) |
| Population | 4,679,230 (2011 est.) |
| Governing body | South Carolina Department of Public Safety |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Blythewood, South Carolina |
| Troopers | 955 (as of 2008) |
| Civilians | 180 (as of 2004) |
| Agency executive | Colonel Michael R. Oliver, Commander |
| Special Units | ACE/Motorcycle/K9 MAIT CERT Insurance Enforcement |
| Facilities | |
| Troops | 11 |
| Website | |
| http://www.scdps.gov/schp | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The South Carolina Highway Patrol is the highway patrol agency for South Carolina, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state except for federal or military installations. The Highway Patrol was created in 1930 and is a paramilitary organization with a rank structure similar to the armed forces. The mission of the South Carolina Highway Patrol includes enforcing the rules and regulations in order to ensure road way safety and reducing crime as outlined by South Carolina law. The Highway Patrol is the largest division of the South Carolina Department of Public Safety and its headquarters is located in Blythewood. This department also includes the South Carolina State Transport Police Division, and the South Carolina Bureau of Protective Services.
The Highway Patrol has many responsibilities. The primary job of the rank and file trooper is traffic law enforcement. This includes traffic collision investigation, issuing warning tickets and citations for traffic violations, and finding, arresting, and processing impaired drivers. A state trooper is a sworn peace officer, and although their primary duty is traffic enforcement, they can perform other law enforcement functions.
SCHP Commander - Colonel Michael R. Oliver
SCHP Deputy Commander - Lieutenant Colonel Chris N. Williamson
The agency has specific jurisdiction over all South Carolina state highways, U.S. Highways, Interstate highways in the state and all public roads. Local city police or the counties sheriff's department having a contract with an incorporated city have responsibility to investigate and enforce traffic laws in incorporated cities. However, the SCHP can still enforce traffic laws on any public road anywhere in the state regardless if it is in an incorporated or unincorporated city. SCHP has authority over any incident that would require a Trooper's response.
SCHP officers are responsible for investigating and disposing of car accidents, debris, dead animals and other impediments to the free flow of traffic. They are often the first government officials at the scene of an accident (or obstruction), and in turn summon EMS/Fire (although,their dispatch often does this long before they are one scene), tow truck drivers or SCDOT personnel. The SCHP files traffic collision reports for state highways and within unincorporated areas.
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Wikipedia