The Idaho State Police (ISP) is the statewide

law enforcement agency A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws. Jurisdiction LEAs which have their ability to apply their powers restricted in some way are said to operate within a jurisdiction. LEAs ...

for the State of

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

. It began as the Bureau of Constabulary, created on May 18, 1919, under the new Department of Law Enforcement, to detect and investigate crime, "order abatement of public nuisances and to enforce such orders by appropriate court action, to suppress riots, prevent wrongs to children and animals that are inhibited by law." The state constabulary was also charged with the organization of various state, county and municipal peace officers. The bureau was dissolved by the state legislature in 1923. The Idaho State Police was formed in 1939, when

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

C. A. Bottolfsen Clarence Alfred Bottolfsen (October 10, 1891July 18, 1964) was an American publisher and politician from Idaho, a member of the Idaho Republican Party. He served as the state's 17th and 19th governor, from 1939 to 1941 and again from 1943 to 194 ...

signed the bill on February 20.

Divisions

The Idaho State Police is divided geographically into six districts, with headquarters (and training facility) in

Meridian Meridian or a meridian line (from Latin ''meridies'' via Old French ''meridiane'', meaning “midday”) may refer to Science * Meridian (astronomy), imaginary circle in a plane perpendicular to the planes of the celestial equator and horizon * ...

, west of

Boise Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown area' ...

. District offices (1–3) are located in Coeur d'Alene, Lewiston, and Meridian. District offices (4–6) are located in

Jerome Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian presbyter, priest, Confessor of the Faith, confessor, th ...

Pocatello Pocatello () is the county seat of and largest city in Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the P ...

, and

Idaho Falls Idaho Falls (Shoshoni language, Shoshoni: Dembimbosaage) is a city in and the county seat of Bonneville County, Idaho, Bonneville County, Idaho, United States. It is the state's largest city outside the Boise metropolitan area. As of the 2020 Un ...

. Each district has a different captain and command staff, are managed separately and are overseen by a major. Each district has two divisions;

patrol A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as Law enforcement officer, law enforcement officers, military personnel, or Security guard, security personnel, that are assigned to monitor or secure a specific geographic area. Etymology Fro ...

and investigations.

Patrol

The patrol division consists of uniformed state troopers who enforce the laws of Idaho. Commonly, a trooper will spend their time enforcing motor vehicle laws while on duty, primarily on state and federal highways.

Investigation

The investigation division consists of plainclothes detectives who enforce the laws of Idaho. The Idaho State Police detectives investigate major crimes such as

homicide Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...

and large scale drug-related offenses.

Other divisions

* The Alcohol Beverage Control division ensures all establishments which sell or produce alcohol are properly licensed and conform to the law. * Commercial Vehicle Specialists are specially trained uniformed officers who enforce federal and state laws pertaining to the safety of commercial trucking. * The Cyber Crimes Unit specializes in crimes involving computers and the internet. * The Bureau of Criminal Identification maintains the states fingerprint database. * Forensic Services investigates

controlled substances A controlled substance is generally a drug or chemical whose manufacture, possession and use is regulated by a government, such as illicitly used drugs or prescription medications that are designated by law. Some treaties, notably the Single C ...

, crime scenes,

firearms A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions). The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes c ...

forensic biology Forensic biology is the application of biology to associate a person(s), whether suspect or victim, to a location, an item (or collection of items), another person (victim or suspect, respectively). It can be utilized to further investigations for ...

, impression evidence,

toxicology Toxicology is a scientific discipline, overlapping with biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine, that involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical substances on living organisms and the practice of diagnosing and treating expo ...

, and

trace evidence Trace evidence is created when objects make contact. The material is often transferred by heat or induced by contact friction. The importance of trace evidence in criminal investigations was shown by Dr. Edmond Locard in the early 20th century. ...

. * Racing Commission provides oversight for horse racing activities within Idaho. * Brands Board conducts livestock brand inspection, required for ownership changes, leaving Idaho and slaughter.

Other duties

The Idaho State Police has two regional communications centers staffed with

dispatcher A dispatcher is a communications worker who receives and transmits information to coordinate operations of other personnel and vehicles carrying out a service. A number of organizations, including police and fire departments, emergency medical s ...

s who provide support to officers in the field. The Idaho State Police is tasked with the physical protection of the governor of the state as well as other dignitaries who may need protection.

Rank structure

References

External links

Official ISP website
{{authority control State law enforcement agencies of Idaho Government agencies established in 1919 1919 establishments in Idaho