The Arkansas State Police is a

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 ...

division of the Arkansas Department of Public Safety and the "premier" law enforcement agency in the

State of Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

. The Arkansas State Police is responsible for enforcing motor vehicle laws, traffic laws, and criminal laws. The Arkansas State Police serves as an assisting agency to local law enforcement agencies within the

and has statewide authority to conduct law enforcement activities, criminal investigations, and crimes against children investigations.

History

The Arkansas State Police was created on 19 March 1935 through Act 120 of 1935, which was passed by the

Arkansas General Assembly The General Assembly of Arkansas is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house Arkansas Senate with 35 members, and the lower Arkansas House of Representatives with 10 ...

and signed into law by the 30th Governor of Arkansas J.M. Futrell. Upon the creation of the Arkansas State Police in 1935, the agency consisted of approximately thirteen Rangers who were charged with enforcing liquor laws and

traffic laws Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic ...

. From its creation in 1935, the Arkansas State Police has been an assisting agency to local law enforcement agencies

State Police Commission

The Arkansas State Police Commission is made up of seven members, appointed by the

Governor of Arkansas 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 ...

with the advice and consent of the

Arkansas Senate The Arkansas State Senate is the upper branch of the Arkansas General Assembly. The Senate consists of 35 members, each representing a district with about 83,000 people. Service in the state legislature is part-time, and many state senators have ...

for seven year terms. The commission is responsible for the overall control of the Arkansas State Police. Current Commissioners: *Chairman: Steve Edwards of

Marianna, Arkansas Marianna is a town in and the county seat of Lee County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 4,115, but by 2018 the population had dropped to an estimated 3,477. Located along the L'Anguille River in the Arkans ...

*Vice-Chair: Murray Benton Sr. of

Jonesboro, Arkansas Jonesboro is a city located on Crowley's Ridge in the northeastern corner of the U.S. State of Arkansas. Jonesboro is one of two county seats of Craighead County. According to the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 78,576 and is the ...

*Secretary: Jeffery Teague of

El Dorado, Arkansas El Dorado, founded by Matthew Rainey, is a city in, and the county seat of, Union County, on the southern border of Arkansas, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 18,884. El Dorado is headquarters of the Ark ...

*Member: John Allison of

Conway, Arkansas Conway is a city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Faulkner County, located in the state's most populous Metropolitan Statistical Area, Central Arkansas. Although considered a suburb of Little Rock, Conway is unusual in th ...

*Member: Jim Hinkle of

*Member: Ken Reeves of

Harrison, Arkansas Harrison is a city and the county seat of Boone County, Arkansas, United States. It is named after General Marcus LaRue Harrison, a surveyor who laid out the city along Crooked Creek at Stifler Springs. According to 2019 Census Bureau estima ...

*Member: Neff Basore of

Bella Vista, Arkansas Bella Vista is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, United States. First established in 1917 as a summer resort destination, Bella Vista has evolved and redesigned itself over the succeeding years. Bella Vista became a retirement community in 1965 ...

Organization

* Arkansas Governor -

Asa Hutchinson William Asa Hutchinson II (, '' AY-sə''; born December 3, 1950) is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who is the 46th and current governor of Arkansas. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U.S. attorney for the Fort Smit ...

** Arkansas Department of Public Safety Secretary - Jami Cook ***Arkansas State Police Director - Colonel William "Bill" Bryant ****Deputy Director - Lieutenant Colonel Tim K'Nuckles - Administrative Services ****Deputy Director - Lieutenant Colonel Shawn Garner - Field Operations *Administrative Services - Major Charles Hubbard **The Administrative Services consists of two of the Division's largest sections, recruiting and training, in addition, Human Resources services for the more than 900 State Police employees. The Arkansas State Police Recruiting Office collects the initial contact forms of all potential recruits and prepares the next generation of State Police Recruits who may enter the department's Training Academy. The training officers assigned to the division develop and teach both curriculum for new recruits as well as in-service training for incumbent Troopers. ***Arkansas State Police Personnel ****Employment ****Office of Personnel Management ****Equal Employment Opportunity Policy ****Trooper Recruiters are always searching for the next generation of Arkansas State Troopers. If you're interested in a career among the ranks of Arkansas State Troopers and want to learn more about the job prerequisites, visit the Trooper Recruiting section.

Highway Patrol

*Highway Patrol - Major Forrest Marks - Commander Western Region *Highway Patrol - Major Jason Aaron - Commander Eastern Region **The Highway Patrol Division is the uniformed branch of the Arkansas State Police. It is responsible for traffic supervision, traffic, and criminal law enforcement on the rural highways of

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

. The HPD also assist with other incidents to include riots, prison disturbances, labor related disturbances, and providing security at public events. **The Highway Patrol Division is divided into two regions both located at Arkansas State Police, One State Police Plaza Drive,

Little Rock, Arkansas ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

Criminal Investigations

* Criminal Investigations - Major Stacie Rhoads - Commander **Special Agents assigned to Criminal Investigations, investigate criminal cases initiated by both the Arkansas State Police and local law enforcement agencies.

Crimes Against Children

* Crimes Against Children - Major Jeffrey Drew - Commander ** Crimes Against Children - Gary Glisson - Investigations Administrator ** Crimes Against Children - Dan Mack - Hotline Administrator ** Investigators assigned to the Crimes Against Children, investigate child maltreatment and criminal cases involving juveniles along with local law enforcement agencies.

Rank structure

Incidents

*In 1992, state troopers executed a search warrant without knocking and announcing themselves. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled the action violated the Fourth Amendment in ''

Wilson v. Arkansas ''Wilson v. Arkansas'', 514 U.S. 927 (1995), is a United States Supreme Court decision in which the Court held that the traditional, common-law-derived "knock and announce" rule for executing search warrants must be incorporated into the "reasonabl ...

''. *In 1993, several state troopers claimed that they assisted then Governor Bill Clinton to cover extramarital affairs in what became known as "Troopergate". No official state inquiry was performed. *On March 7, 2006, trooper Larry P. Norman fatally shot Joseph Erin Hamley, an unarmed man with cerebral palsy as he lay on his back. On June 28, 2007, Norman pleaded guilty to negligent homicide based on the dashcam footage and was sentenced to 90 days in jail, 30 days of community service, one year of probation, and a $1,000 fine. Norman served 54 days of his jail sentence. The Arkansas State Police settled a

lawsuit - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil act ...

on March 5, 2007 with the victim's family for one million dollars. *In July 2020, Senior Cpl. Rodney Dunn performed a

PIT maneuver The PIT maneuver (precision immobilization technique) or TVI (tactical vehicle intervention) is a pursuit tactic by which a pursuing car can force a fleeing car to turn sideways abruptly, causing the driver to lose control and stop. It was d ...

against a pregnant woman during a traffic stop. Shortly thereafter, the woman filed a lawsuit against the department, claiming that she was in the process of pulling over, and that the actions of Dunn were reckless and nearly killed her and her unborn child. The Arkansas State Police has defended the trooper's actions and argue neither he nor the department bear any responsibility for the incident. The Arkansas State Police and the woman have settled the lawsuit in November 2021.

In popular culture

*The third season of HBO'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 ...

'' depicted Mahershala Ali and

Stephen Dorff Stephen Hartley Dorff Jr. (born July 29, 1973) is an American actor. He is known for portraying Roland West in the third season of HBO's crime drama anthology series ''True Detective'', PK in '' The Power of One'', Stuart Sutcliffe in ''Back ...

as Arkansas State Police detectives. *In the 1973 film White Lightning starring

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor, considered a sex symbol and icon of 1970s American popular culture. Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in television series such as ' ...

, the Arkansas State Police are seen pursuing Reynolds boot legging character, Gator McKlusky.

Notables

Wayne Hays Wayne Levere Hays (May 13, 1911 – February 10, 1989) was an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative of Ohio, in the Democratic Party, from 1949 to 1976. He resigned from Congress after a much-publicized sex scandal. Early year ...

(fictional) * Tommy F. Robinson * Dwight Tosh

References

External links

* {{authority control * 1935 establishments in Arkansas Government agencies established in 1935 State law enforcement agencies of Arkansas