The Illinois State Police (ISP) is the state police agency of the U.S. state of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. The Illinois State Police is responsible for traffic safety on more than 300,000 miles of total roadway, including 2,185 miles of interstate highways and 15,969 miles of state highways. Currently, almost 3,000 sworn and civilian personnel make up the Illinois State Police.

Troops and organization

Organization

The Illinois State Police is currently organized into several divisions, commands, offices and bureaus: * Office of the Director: ** First Deputy Director *** Chief of Staff **** Office of Equal Employment Opportunity **** Office of Finance **** Office of Human Resources **** Office and Inspection & Audits **** Office of Labor Relations and Special Projects **** Legal Office **** Deputy Chief of Staff for Special Counsels Major Case Counsel ***** Firearms Safety Office Counsel **** Deputy Chief of Staff for External Affairs Senior Public Safety Policy Advisor ***** Office of Governmental Affairs ***** Executive Office ***** Public Information Office **** Deputy Chief of Staff Office of Operational & Strategic Planning ***** Executive Protection Unit ***** Office of Strategic Planning & Special Projects ***** Office of Research & Development * Division of Justice Services (Colonel): ** Administrative Support Command *** Logistics *** Department of Innovation and Technology ** Criminal Justice Services Command *** Bureau of Identification *** Program Administration Bureau ** Public Safety services Command *** Firearms Services Bureau *** Regulatory Services Bureau * Division of Forensic Services (Deputy Director): ** Chief of Staff *** Fiscal Administrator *** Personnel Administrator *** Case File Administrator (FOIA) ** Assistant Deputy Director *** Forensic Sciences Command *** Crime Scene & Evidence Services Command *** Quality Assurance * Division of Internal Investigation (Deputy Director): ** Administrative Services Command *** Background Investigations Unit *** Identified Offender Program ** Northern Command ** Southern Command * Division of Patrol (Colonel): ** Patrol Operations Command *** North Central Patrol Command **** Troops 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 *** Chicago Patrol Command **** Troop 3 *** Southern Patrol Command **** Troops 7, 8, 9, 10 ** Strategic Operations Command *** Support Servies Command **** Special Operations ***** SAVE ***** H.I.T. **** Support Services ***** Criminal Patrol ***** Motorcycle Enforcement Bureau ***** Vehicle Investigations Coordinator ***** Commercial Vehicle Section ***** Crowd Control ***** Administrative Support **** Protective Service Unit * Division of Criminal Investigation (Colonel): ** Investigative Command *** Research & Development *** Northern Major **** Zones 1, 2, 3 *** Central Major **** Zones 4, 5 *** Southern Major ****Zones 6, 7, 8 **Support Command *** Special Operations Command/Air Operations *** Medical Fraud Bureau *** Investigative Support Command *** Intelligence Command *** Special Investigation Unit *** Statewide Gaming Command ** Chief of Staff *** Deputy Chief of Staff **** Statewide Investigative Training Special Projects Coordinator * Division of the Academy and Training (Colonel): ** Staff/Special Projects Officer *** Honor Guard **** Trumpet Team **** Pipes & Drum Team ** Academy Commander *** Physical Skills Bureau *** Recruitment and Substance Testing Bureau *** Logistics Bureau *** Training Development Bureau * Division Statewide 911 (Colonel): ** Statewide 911 Administrator ** Assistant Deputy Director *** Statewide 911 Bureau *** Telecommunications Services Bureau *** Radio Network Services Bureau *** Fleet Services Bureau

Troops

The Illinois State Police reorganized from districts into troops, as of January 1, 2023.

Traffic enforcement

Illinois State Police currently use various methods for speed limit enforcement on Illinois highways, including hand-held and moving

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

LIDAR Lidar (, also LIDAR, an acronym of "light detection and ranging" or "laser imaging, detection, and ranging") is a method for determining ranging, ranges by targeting an object or a surface with a laser and measuring the time for the reflected li ...

, pacing, air speed utilizing the ISP fleet of aircraft, and VASCAR. ISP uses typical marked units (Ford Explorer, Expedition, and Taurus, Chevrolet Caprice) as well as unmarked units. Since 2006, photo radar mounted in vans has been used for speed enforcement in construction zones statewide. Though the vans are manned by ISP officers, Conduent, a private company, provides the vans for a fee. ISP has four Cessna 182 airplanes used for law enforcement efforts throughout the state. Three of the four aircraft are equipped with forward looking infrared cameras. All pilots assigned to the Air Operations Bureau began their career at ISP as troopers. ISP pilots respond to calls for service 24/7 and at no cost to the user agency. Routine calls for service include, but are not limited to, missing persons searches, criminal manhunts, surveillance, pursuits, photo/video needs, civil unrest, patrol support, and transportation. Since 1959, ISP has also used aircraft for speed enforcement, using stopwatch time measurement.

Illinois State Police Merit Board

The Illinois State Police Merit Board administers certification for the appointment and promotion of state police officers, as well as their discipline, removal, demotion, and suspension measures. The board consists of five civilian members appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the State Senate. Each member serves a six-year term, and no more than three members may be affiliated with the same political party.

List of ISP superintendents and directors

Superintendents

Directors

Line of duty deaths

Since the establishment of the Illinois State Police, 69 troopers have died while on duty.

Uniform and armament

The ISP uniform has a distinct look that separate it from its neighbors. Instead of a chocolate brown uniform worn by the Iowa State Patrol, or a light blue on dark blue uniform worn by the Missouri State Highway Patrol, ISP officers wear light tan/khaki shirts, and dark green pants with black trim. Dress uniforms include a jacket that matches the pants. Starting with CC 150, Sam Brown style crossbody belts will be added to the dress blouse. The cold weather gear incorporates a brown, all-weather jacket. Leather duty gear consists of black high gloss clarino holsters, belts, and accessories. ISP officers wear a dark brown campaign hat called a Montana Peak. The badge, instead of a traditional shield surmounted by an eagle design, is a six-pointed star that reads the rank of the trooper, and the words "Illinois State Police" in black, along with the officer's badge number (beginning in 2002). The badge's sequential inventory number is found stamped on the reverse side of the badge. The badges are silver or chrome plated steel for all ranks below sergeant, and gold plated for sergeant and above. A special 100th anniversary badge was worn for the centennial in 2022. This badge was gold with a silver center to represent both troopers and sergeants above. Officers are issued a Glock 22, .40 S&W caliber semiautomatic pistol as sidearm. Previous issued sidearms include the 9mm Smith & Wesson Model 5904 pistol, the 9mm Smith & Wesson Model 439 pistol, & the 9mm Smith & Wesson Model 39 pistol. However, beginning in 2025, a transition back to the 9mm will take place. Notably, the ISP issued the Model 39 to their troopers in 1967, making the ISP the first American state police force to issue a semiautomatic pistol as a duty weapon to their officers.

Rank insignia

Bibliography

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References

External links

*
Title 20, Chapter II: Department of State Police
in the Illinois Administrative Code {{authority control State law enforcement agencies of Illinois 1922 establishments in Illinois Government agencies established in 1922