The Louisiana State Police (French: Police d’Etat de Louisiane) is the
state police agency of
Louisiana, which has
jurisdiction anywhere in the state, headquartered in
Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties ...
. It falls under the authority of the
Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections
The Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DPS&C) (French: ) is a state law enforcement agency responsible for the incarceration of inmates and management of facilities at state prisons within the state of Louisiana. The agency is headquart ...
. It is officially known in that organization as the Office of State Police.
The Louisiana State Police is a premier law enforcement agency in Louisiana and was accredited by the
Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies
The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) is a credentialing authority (accreditation), based in the United States, whose primary mission is to accredit public safety agencies, namely law enforcement agencies, trai ...
(CALEA) from 2003 to 2008. The agency voluntarily ceased its association with CALEA in 2008. The agency has approximately 1,200 officers as of 2021.
History
The organization began in 1922 as the Louisiana Highway Commission with 16 Highway Inspectors covering approximately of roadway. These inspectors patrolled exclusively by motorcycles. These motorcycles were personally owned by the individual patrolmen, and maintained by an allowance from the state. Of the 16 men on the force, one was a captain. This captain served as superintendent of the force. The highway commission was divided into ten districts. The Baton Rouge District had two patrol officers, while the New Orleans District had three patrolmen. The other eight districts had one patrol officer each. The other two officers patrolled statewide on the main highways of the state. In 1928 the agency was known as the Law Enforcement Division of the Highway Commission, and employed 70 uniformed officers. The Bureau of Criminal Investigation was also formed about that time. In 1932, the organization's name was changed to the State Highway Patrol, and it was given the authority to carry firearms. The agency was used by Governor
Huey Long
Huey Pierce Long Jr. (August 30, 1893September 10, 1935), nicknamed "the Kingfish", was an American politician who served as the 40th governor of Louisiana from 1928 to 1932 and as a United States senator from 1932 until his assassination ...
as his personal bodyguards, who escorted him all over the state. In 1936, the two divisions of law enforcement were combined, by an act of the Louisiana Legislature, to form the Louisiana Department of State Police. The department's force of patrolmen numbered over 40 at that time, and the primary patrol vehicle was the motorcycle. In 1939, the State Police was divided into eight "troops". Troopers in cars and motorcycles were patrolling nearly 2 million miles per year throughout the state. The agency's fleet of patrol motorcycles eventually grew to 64 motorcycles. In 1942 the Louisiana Legislature abolished the Department of State Police and made it a division of the newly created
Department of Public Safety. The state police accepted new responsibilities in 1946, when the state's Drivers License Law was enacted requiring every driver to hold a license for operating a motor vehicle. Prior to this time, only the operators of commercial vehicles, trucks, and buses were required to be licensed in Louisiana. In 1948, the number of motorcycles operated by the agency had fallen to 36 motorcycles. The department was relying more heavily on automobiles for patrol purposes, and eventually patrol motorcycles were only found in New Orleans and other major cities. Motorcycle patrol units were used throughout the 1950s, with Governor
Earl Kemp Long
Earl Kemp Long (August 26, 1895 – September 5, 1960) was an American politician and the 45th governor of Louisiana, serving three nonconsecutive terms. Long, known as "Uncle Earl", connected with voters through his folksy demeanor and c ...
also using them as bodyguards. In the 1960s, the department was utilizing motorcycles, automobiles, airplanes, and helicopters for enforcement purposes. The department had exclusively used Harley-Davidson motorcycles until the 1980s when it switched to Kawasaki motorcycles. A short time after this switch, the motorcycle patrol program was disbanded. In 1997, patrol motorcycles were brought back on the force.
In July 2018, Trooper, Kasha Domingue shot a male passenger in the back who was unarmed at a 2018 traffic stop behind a Perkins Road store causing a severe injury to his spinal cord.
A grand jury indicted Trooper Kasha Domingue, 43 of Baton Rouge on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020 on charges of aggravated second-degree battery and illegal use of a weapon in the shooting of Clifton Dilley, a Baton Rouge man who was 19 at the time. The indictment marked the first time in District Attorney Hillar Moore III's 11-plus years as prosecutor that an officer was charged with a crime after killing or injuring a civilian with gunfire.
In September 2018, the Louisiana State Police were scrutinized for using lists of personal information about supposed
Antifa members which were posted on
8chan's politics board. The file "antifa.docx" was found in police databases and led directly to the opening of
criminal investigation
Criminal investigation is an applied science that involves the study of facts that are then used to inform criminal trials. A complete criminal investigation can include searching, interviews, interrogations, evidence collection and preservation ...
s.
After a Louisiana State Police unit stunned, punched and dragged a Black motorist who died as a result of the altercation. Ronald Greene, a barber, failed to pull over for an unspecified traffic violation shortly after midnight on May 10, 2019, about 30 miles south of the Arkansas state line. a federal civil rights investigation was conducted on the motorist's death and the state of Louisiana set up a panel to investigate the police unit involved in that incident, as well as other incidents of alleged misconduct.
In 2021, the ACLU called for a federal investigation into the Louisiana State Police.
State Police brass initially argued the troopers’ use of force was justified — “awful but lawful,” as ranking officials described it — and did not open an administrative investigation until 474 days after Greene’s death.
Patrol areas
The department is divided into nine
troops, with its headquarters in
Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties ...
. The troops are divided as follows:
* Troop A (
Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties ...
): covers the following 9 parishes:
Ascension,
East Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge Parish (french: Paroisse de Bâton Rouge Est) is the most populous parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2010 U.S. census, its population was 440,171, and 456,781 at the 2020 census. The parish seat is Baton Rouge, Loui ...
,
East Feliciana,
Iberville,
Livingston,
St. James (east bank),
Pointe Coupee,
West Baton Rouge,
West Feliciana
* Troop B (
Kenner
Kenner Products, known simply as Kenner, was an American toy company founded in 1946. Throughout its history, the Kenner brand produced several highly recognizable toys and merchandise lines including action figures like the original series of ...
): covers 6 parishes:
Orleans,
St. Charles,
St. John (east bank),
Plaquemines,
St. Bernard,
Jefferson
* Troop C (
Houma): covers the 5 parishes of
Assumption
Assumption, in Christianity, refers to the Assumption of Mary, a belief in the taking up of the Virgin Mary into heaven.
Assumption may also refer to:
Places
* Assumption, Alberta, Canada
* Assumption, Illinois, United States
** Assumption Town ...
,
Lafourche,
Terrebonne, and the west banks of
St. James and
St. John
* Troop D (
Lake Charles): covers the 5 parishes of
Allen Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to:
Buildings
* Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee
* Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas
* Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Univer ...
,
Beauregard,
Calcasieu,
Cameron and
Jefferson Davis
* Troop E (
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
): covers the parishes of
Avoyelles
Avoyelles (french: Paroisse des Avoyelles) is a parish located in central eastern Louisiana on the
Red River where it effectively becomes the Atchafalaya River and meets the Mississippi River. As of the 2010 census, the population was 42,07 ...
,
Catahoula,
Concordia,
Grant
Grant or Grants may refer to:
Places
*Grant County (disambiguation)
Australia
* Grant, Queensland, a locality in the Barcaldine Region, Queensland, Australia
United Kingdom
*Castle Grant
United States
* Grant, Alabama
* Grant, Inyo County, ...
,
LaSalle,
Natchitoches,
Rapides,
Sabine,
Vernon and
Winn Winn may refer to:
Places
In the United States:
* Winn, Maine, a town in Penobscot County
* Winn, Michigan, an unincorporated community
* Winn Parish, Louisiana
Other uses
* Winn (surname) (including a list of people with the name)
* WINN, an Ame ...
* Troop F (
Monroe): covers the Parishes of
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''U ...
,
West Carroll,
East Carroll,
Morehouse,
Lincoln,
Ouachita,
Richland,
Madison Madison may refer to:
People
* Madison (name), a given name and a surname
* James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States
Place names
* Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...
,
Jackson,
Caldwell
Caldwell may refer to:
People
* Caldwell (surname)
* Caldwell (given name)
* Caldwell First Nation, a federally recognized Indian band in southern Ontario, Canada
Places
Great Britain
* Caldwell, Derbyshire, a hamlet
* Caldwell, Eas ...
,
Tensas, and
Franklin
Franklin may refer to:
People
* Franklin (given name)
* Franklin (surname)
* Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class
Places Australia
* Franklin, Tasmania, a township
* Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...
.
* Troop G (
Bossier City
Bossier City ( ) is a city in Bossier Parish in the northwestern region of the U.S. state of Louisiana in the United States. It is the second most populous city in the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area. In 2020, it had a ...
): covers the Parishes of
Caddo
The Caddo people comprise the Caddo Nation of Oklahoma, a federally recognized tribe headquartered in Binger, Oklahoma. They speak the Caddo language.
The Caddo Confederacy was a network of Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands, who ...
,
Bossier,
De Soto De Soto commonly refers to
* Hernando de Soto (c. 1495 – 1542), Spanish explorer
* DeSoto (automobile), an American automobile brand from 1928 to 1961
De Soto, DeSoto, Desoto, or de Soto may also refer to:
Places in the United States of Ameri ...
,
Webster
Webster may refer to:
People
*Webster (surname), including a list of people with the surname
*Webster (given name), including a list of people with the given name
Places Canada
*Webster, Alberta
* Webster's Falls, Hamilton, Ontario
United Stat ...
,
Claiborne,
Bienville, and
Red River.
* Troop I (
Lafayette
Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to:
People
* Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette
* House of La Fayette, a French noble family
** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...
): covers Parishes of
Evangeline
''Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie'' is an epic poem by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, written in English and published in 1847. The poem follows an Acadian girl named Evangeline and her search for her lost love Gabriel, set during t ...
,
St. Landry,
Acadia
Acadia (french: link=no, Acadie) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. During much of the 17th and early 18t ...
,
Lafayette
Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to:
People
* Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette
* House of La Fayette, a French noble family
** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...
,
St. Martin,
Vermilion,
Iberia, and
St. Mary.
* Troop L (
Covington): covers the parishes of
St. Helena
Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...
,
St. Tammany,
Tangipahoa and
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
Disbanded troops
The following troops are no longer in existence:
* Troop H (
Leesville) comprised Vernon, as the home base parish, and Sabine and Beauregard Parishes. It was disbanded in 1988 due to budget considerations.
* Troop K (
Opelousas :''Opelousas is also a common name of the flathead catfish.''
Opelousas (french: Les Opélousas; Spanish: ''Los Opeluzás'') is a small city and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190 ...
) included Avoyelles, Evangeline, Pointe Coupee, and St. Landry Parishes. It was disbanded in 1988 due to budget considerations.
* Troop M (
Des Allemands) closed in 1973 when merged into the current Troop C. It comprised Lafourche, Terrebonne, Assumption, the West banks of St. Charles, St. John, and St. James Parishes.
* Troop N (
Crowley) included Acadia and Vermilion parishes. Disbanded in 1969.
* Troop N (
New Orleans): centered in and around the French Quarter of New Orleans. Although initially not officially classified as a Troop, Troop N was reopened in
New Orleans, in 2005, as headquarters for post-
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cos ...
operations until April 2006. It was again reopened in April, 2015, to oversee deployments of temporary extra troopers to the New Orleans French Quarter detail. In late 2016, it was officially designated a Troop. Due to issues with funding and the Covid-19 global pandemic, Troop N was again disbanded on December 31, 2020.
* Troop O (
Delhi) comprised Franklin, Richland, Tensas, Madison, East and West Carroll Parishes. Troop O was created in 1968. It operated from the city hall building in Delhi, Louisiana. It was very short lived, lasting a mere 13 months before being disbanded in 1969.
Rank structure
Equipment
Firearms
The current standard issue firearm for LSP Troopers is the
Glock 17
Glock is a brand of polymer- framed, short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b.H. The firearm entered Austrian military and police service by 1982 after it was th ...
in caliber
9mm or
Glock 22 in caliber
.40 S&W. Previously, the standard issue sidearm was the
SIG Sauer P220 semi-automatic pistol in caliber
.45 ACP
The .45 ACP ( Automatic Colt Pistol) or .45 Auto (11.43×23mm) is a rimless straight-walled handgun cartridge designed by John Moses Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic pistol. After successful military trials, it ...
. Other optional handguns are also authorized for carry on-duty. Each trooper is also issued a
Remington 870
__NOTOC__
Year 870 ( DCCCLXX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place Europe
* August 8 – Treaty of Meerssen: King Louis the German forces his half-brothe ...
Police 12
gauge
Gauge ( or ) may refer to:
Measurement
* Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments
* Gauge (firearms)
* Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire
** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, es ...
magnum shotgun. Troopers are also issued a
Colt AR-15
The Colt AR-15 is a lightweight, magazine-fed, gas-operated semi-automatic rifle. It is a semi-automatic version of the M16 rifle sold for the civilian and law enforcement markets in the United States. Colt's Manufacturing Company currently o ...
or
Bushmaster M4-type Carbine
The Bushmaster M4 or M4A3 is a semi-automatic or select-fire carbine manufactured by Bushmaster Firearms International, modeled on the AR-15. It is one of the Bushmaster XM15 line of rifles and carbines.
Design
The M4 Type Carbine is a copy ...
in
.223
The .223 Remington (designated as the 223 Remington by the SAAMI and 223 Rem by the CIP) is a rimless, bottlenecked rifle cartridge. It was developed in 1957 by Remington Arms and Fairchild Industries for the U.S. Continental Army Command ...
, a
Ruger Mini-14
The Mini-14 is a lightweight semi-automatic rifle manufactured by Sturm, Ruger & Co. Introduced in 1973, it is based on the M14 rifle and is essentially a scaled-down version chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO.
It is made in a number of variants, incl ...
in
.223
The .223 Remington (designated as the 223 Remington by the SAAMI and 223 Rem by the CIP) is a rimless, bottlenecked rifle cartridge. It was developed in 1957 by Remington Arms and Fairchild Industries for the U.S. Continental Army Command ...
, or an
H&K MP5
The Heckler & Koch MP5 (german: Maschinenpistole 5) is a 9x19mm Parabellum submachine gun, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch. There are over 100 variants and clones of the MP5, ...
in
9mm. The troopers in this agency have been issued batons and pepper spray for quite some time.
Tasers
A taser is an electroshock weapon used to incapacitate people, allowing them to be approached and handled in an unresisting and thus safe manner. It is sold by Axon, formerly TASER International. It fires two small barbed darts intended to ...
have also been introduced, and have been in service since 2005.
Patrol cars
The current primary Louisiana State Police patrol vehicle is the
Chevrolet Tahoe
The Chevrolet Tahoe, and its badge engineered GMC Yukon counterpart, are full-size SUVs from General Motors, offered since 1994 and 1991, respectively. Since 1982, Chevrolet and GMC sold two different-sized SUVs under their 'Blazer' and 'Jimm ...
. The agency began a conversion to the Tahoe in 2012. Previously, the agency used the
Ford Crown Victoria "Police Interceptor." This vehicle was the main patrol vehicle used by the agency from 1997 to 2011, when it replaced the
Chevrolet Caprice
The Chevrolet Caprice is a full-sized automobile produced by Chevrolet in North America for the 1965 to 1996 model years. Full-size Chevrolet sales peaked in 1965 with over a million sold. It was the most popular car in the U.S. in the 1960 ...
in 1996, and when the Crown Victoria was discontinued in 2011. The vehicle's markings include "State Trooper" written on each front quarter panel, a state badge on the center of each front door, the words "Louisiana State Police" written above and below the door badge, and the words "State Police" written on the trunk. Note that the markings on the Tahoe include a slight variation to the previously used designs. In 2012 all markings were re-designed. The door badge has been redesigned from a light blue to a darker blue. Also the badge state seal in center was updated to reflect a 2008 change showing a more angular "Pelican in Her Piety" state seal done in white. It is completely different from the prior one used from 1964 to 2012 except in dimension. The red "LSP" lettering was also upgraded to a more reflective prismatic shade of ruby red, and each letter now has a small dark blue border around it. An "ACE" insignia, consisting of a blue State of Louisiana with a red lightning bolt, is awarded to troopers who recover five or more stolen vehicles within a year. Since approximately 2001, a majority of the marked patrol vehicles utilized by this agency have been equipped with onboard video cameras. Other 'marked' patrol vehicles currently used include
Harley-Davidson motorcycles, the
Chevrolet Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro sh ...
, the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, with incidental examples fielded since 2013 of the Ford Taurus Interceptor, Ford Explorer Police and Caprice PPV. Announced on January 31, 2018, beginning in the succeeding month
ebruary newer models of the
Dodge Charger were introduced. The latter included "less visible, semi-marked and unmarked" vehicles to "
..ombat aggressive, impaired, and distracted driving."
Special units
Like many other state police agencies around the United States, the Louisiana State Police has several sub-divisions specializing in addressing particular crimes or security needs. These include a Bomb Squad, an Air Support Unit, a Special Weapons And Tactics (
SWAT
In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...
) Team, an Executive Protection detail that functions under the Louisiana Department of Public Safety Police (for protection of the
Louisiana Governor, Lt. Governor, other dignitaries, Capitol grounds, and other state owned facilities), a Motor Carrier Safety Enforcement (MCSAP) section, and a Hazardous Materials Response Unit.
The Criminal Investigations Division includes a Statewide Narcotics Task Force, a Concealed Handgun Permit Section, an Auto Theft Recovery Unit, the Casino Gaming & Licensing Section, a Criminal Intelligence Unit, Identity Theft Investigations, an
Insurance Fraud Investigations Section, and a
cyber crimes section which specializes in online and computer crimes.
The agency also operates the State Police
Crime Laboratory
A crime laboratory, often shortened to crime lab, is a scientific laboratory, using primarily forensic science for the purpose of examining evidence from criminal cases.
Lab personnel
A typical crime lab has two sets of personnel:
*Field ana ...
.
The agency previously ran a section called the Anti-Terrorist Assistance Program (ATAP) which was a joint venture with the
U.S. State Department
The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...
. This ATAP section trained foreign police and military forces in detecting, preventing, and fighting of terrorism.
Fallen officers
Since its formation in 1922, 29 LSP troopers have been killed in the line of duty. The most common cause of line of duty deaths to date is automobile accidents.
Officer Down Memorial Page
/ref>
In popular culture
*The first season of HBO
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television, premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office busi ...
's ''True Detective
''True Detective'' is an American anthology crime drama television series created and written by Nic Pizzolatto. The series, broadcast by the premium cable network HBO in the United States, premiered on January 12, 2014. Each season of the s ...
'' depicted Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as Louisiana State Police detectives.
See also
* Louisiana State Troopers Association
* Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries - Enforcement Division
* List of law enforcement agencies in Louisiana
This is a list of law enforcement agencies in Louisiana.
According to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics' 2008 ''Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies,'' the state had 348 law enforcement agencies employing 18,050 sworn police of ...
* State police
* State patrol
* Highway patrol
* Mike Edmonson
* Francis Grevemberg
* Terry Landry
* Joseph S. Cage Jr.
References
External links
Louisiana State Police Website
{{authority control
State law enforcement agencies of Louisiana
Government agencies established in 1922
1922 establishments in Louisiana