The Nevada State Police (NSP), formerly the Nevada Highway Patrol (NHP) from roughly 1949 to 2021, is the
state police
State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdiction o ...
and
highway patrol
A highway patrol, or state 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 prima ...
agency of
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
, with state-wide
jurisdiction
Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, areas of jurisdiction apply to local, state, and federal levels.
Jur ...
.
The Nevada State Police is a division of the
Nevada Department of Public Safety
The Nevada Department of Public Safety (NDPS) is a governmental agency in the U.S. state of Nevada. The department is responsible for the protection and safety of residents and visitors.
The agency is headquartered at 555 Wright Way in Carson Ci ...
. The NSP's headquarters are located in
Carson City
Carson City is an Independent city (United States), independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the List of cities in Nevada, sixth largest ...
, with regional commands in
Reno
Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the c ...
,
Elko, and
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
.
History
In 1908, the Nevada State Police was created to provide a state level law enforcement presence as a result of
labor strikes in Nevada's mining communities. When automobiles became available in the early 20th century, the problem of enforcing the laws of the road soon followed. On June 23, 1923, the first Nevada State Highway Patrolman was hired by the Nevada Highway Department under the supervision of the Inspector of the Nevada State Police. This officer and the Inspector of the State Police would travel throughout the State collecting automobile registration fees and enforcing the laws of the highway. Nevada was one of the first western states to have an organized highway patrol function.
By 1934, the highway patrol force had grown to three officers still supervised by the Inspector of the State Police. They were given silver patrol cars with gold stars on the door, red lights and sirens, and told to patrol the roads. One officer was assigned to Las Vegas, Reno and Elko.
This part of the Nevada State Police remained operational until the State Police were reorganized in 1943. At that time, the Nevada State Highway Patrol was absorbed into the State Police who continued highway law enforcement until 1949 when the Nevada Highway Patrol was organized.
The 1949
Nevada Legislature
The Nevada Legislature is a bicameral body, consisting of the lower house, the Assembly, with 42 members, and the upper house, the Senate, with 21. With a total of 63 seats, the Legislature is the third-smallest bicameral state legislature in ...
created the Nevada Highway Patrol by consolidating the Nevada State Police, Inspectors from the
Nevada Public Service Commission and several Inspectors from the Nevada Department of Taxation. On July 1, 1949, the Nevada Highway Patrol Division was created within the Nevada Public Service Commission. These officers were directed to act as field agents and inspectors in the enforcement of the State laws as they pertained to Nevada highways.
In 1957, the Legislature created the Department of Motor Vehicles and transferred the Nevada Highway Patrol to this new department as a division.
In 1985, the name of the Department was changed to the Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety (DMV&PS) to reflect the law enforcement agencies that had been added. At the same time, Fifty-two Field Enforcement Agents of the Motor Carrier Division of the Department of Motor Vehicles were transferred to the Nevada Highway Patrol and consolidated with existing Commercial Vehicle Safety Officers of the Nevada Highway Patrol to form the Commercial Enforcement Bureau within the NHP.
In 2001, DMV&PS was split into separate departments and the Nevada Highway Patrol is now a division of the
Nevada Department of Public Safety
The Nevada Department of Public Safety (NDPS) is a governmental agency in the U.S. state of Nevada. The department is responsible for the protection and safety of residents and visitors.
The agency is headquartered at 555 Wright Way in Carson Ci ...
.
In 2005, NHP opened a new
communications center and
emergency operations center
An emergency operations center (EOC) is a central command and control facility responsible for carrying out the principles of emergency preparedness and emergency management, or disaster management functions at a strategic level during an emer ...
in
Clark County.
In 2007, DPS Northern Nevada Communications center moved from the Reno Northern Command Headquarters into the State Emergency Operations Center in Nevada's capital city, Carson City.
The Nevada Highway Patrol issues its officers a variety of non-lethal weapons, such as
taser
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 ...
s,
pepper spray
Pepper spray, oleoresin capsicum spray, OC spray, capsaicin spray, or capsicum spray is a lachrymatory agent (a compound that irritates the eyes to cause a burning sensation, pain, and temporary blindness) used in policing, riot control, cr ...
, and a
baton
Baton may refer to:
Stick-like objects
*Baton, a type of club
*Baton (law enforcement)
*Baston (weapon), a type of baton used in Arnis and Filipino Martial Arts
*Baton charge, a coordinated tactic for dispersing crowds of people
*Baton (conductin ...
. The NHP also issues its troopers take-home cars.
In 2020, the first female colonel, Colonel Anne Carpenter, was served as the third
chief
Chief may refer to:
Title or rank
Military and law enforcement
* Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force
* Chief of police, the head of a police department
* Chief of the boa ...
since October 19, 2020. She was confirmed by the Nevada Senate on October 19, 2020.
In 2021, the
Nevada Department of Public Safety
The Nevada Department of Public Safety (NDPS) is a governmental agency in the U.S. state of Nevada. The department is responsible for the protection and safety of residents and visitors.
The agency is headquartered at 555 Wright Way in Carson Ci ...
announced that the agency would rebrand from the Nevada Highway Patrol to the Nevada State Police.
In February 2021, the Nevada State Police seized $87,000 from a combat veteran without alleging any crimes. The veteran was travelling through Nevada to see his daughters in California, and sued the NSP to get his money back.
Badge and rank structure
Commands
*Headquarters (
Carson City
Carson City is an Independent city (United States), independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the List of cities in Nevada, sixth largest ...
)
*Northern Command (
Reno
Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the c ...
)
*Central Command (
Elko)
*Southern Command (
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
)
Demographics
Reference
*Male: 94%
*Female: 6%
*White: 89%
*Hispanic: 5%
*African-American/Black: 3%
*Asian: 3%
Flight operations
The NSP flight operations unit consisted of three fixed-wing aircraft. The aircraft were predominantly used for speed enforcement, prisoner transport and personnel transport. The planes were additionally used for emergency blood delivery and to assist other law enforcement agencies.
NSP discontinued use of their flight operations in 2010.
Fleet
*
Cessna Skylane 182 RG based in Las Vegas
*
Cessna Centurion 210 RG based in Carson City
*
Cessna Cutlass 172 RG based in Elko
Fallen officers
Since the creation of the Nevada State Police, Ten officers have died while on duty.
The causes of death are as follows:
See also
*
List of law enforcement agencies in Nevada
This is a list of law enforcement agencies in the U.S. state of Nevada.
According to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics' 2008 ''Census of State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies,'' the state had 76 law enforcement agencies employing 6,643 sw ...
*
Denver S. Dickerson
*
Capitol Police
References
External links
Nevada State Police
{{authority control
State law enforcement agencies of Nevada
Government agencies established in 1908
1908 establishments in Nevada