New York State Police

Template:Short description Template:Multiple issues Template:Infobox law enforcement agency

The New York State Police (NYSP) is the state police of the U.S. state of New York; it is part of the New York State Executive Department and employs over 5,000 sworn state troopers and 711 non-sworn members.

The New York State Police are responsible for patrolling state highways, rural communities, and providing law enforcement services across the state.

HistoryEdit

File:Maj. Geo. F. Chandler.jpg

George Fletcher Chandler, the first Superintendent of the New York State Police

Like most U.S. states, New York did not establish a state police force until the early twentieth century. In part this reflected the pattern of settlement across a wide frontier. A number of proposals to create such a force during the early 1900s, but faced considerable opposition from trade union interests. They feared the police would be used against union organizing, as was happening in several other states.<ref name=VDWater>Template:Cite book</ref>

Following the 1913 murder of Sam Howell, a construction foreman in Westchester County, and failure of the local police to arrest suspects he had named before his death, the New York State Legislature passed a bill to establish a state police force. The New York State Police was officially established on April 11, 1917.

The division's first superintendent was George Fletcher Chandler, who was appointed by Governor Charles S. Whitman. Chandler is credited with much of the division's early organization and development. Chandler coined the term "New York State Troopers." He was an early advocate of officers carrying their weapons exposed on a belt, which was not common practice at the time.Template:Citation needed

On January 1, 1980, the Long Island State Parkway Police merged with the state police; this resulted in the official establishment of Troop L. In October 1997, the New York State Capital Police was consolidated and absorbed into the state police.

Since February 1994, the agency has accepted DNA evidence for forensic investigation and analysis. The New York State Police Forensic Investigation Center (FIC) opened in November 1996. The Crime Laboratory performs DNA analysis for state investigations and for local law enforcement. It includes a new DNA Data Bank Section that compiles DNA records from violent felons sentenced to prison in New York State. These records can be searched and compared by computer to other evidence collected in unsolved crimes.<ref name="history">[1], Troopers, NY</ref>

In December 2019, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that the New York State Park Police was to be merged with the New York State Police. The merger was expected to take about six months.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Cuomo resigned in August 2021, and by January 2022, New York officials announced that the two police forces would remain separate.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Since the establishment of the New York State Police, 140 troopers have died while on duty.<ref>Down Memorial Page</ref>

Structure and organizationEdit

File:New York State Police, Guilderland, New York.jpg

New York State Police building, Guilderland, New York

File:NY-SP Chevy Tahoe on MVA.jpg

NY State Police unit at the scene of a motor vehicle accident, Delaware County, New York

The NYSP divides New York state geographically into eleven "Troops," each comprising a specific geographic area, usually several counties. Each is supervised by a "Troop Commander" usually of the rank of Major.<ref>NYSP site http://www.troopers.ny.gov/Contact_Us/Troop_Information/</ref> NYSP Troops cover the following counties and regions as listed:

Troop	Region(s) Covered	Counties Covered
A	Buffalo Niagara Region Eastern Great Lakes Region Finger Lakes Genesee Valley Western New York Western Southern Tier	Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, Wyoming'
B	Adirondack Mountains Champlain Valley North Country Thousand Islands	Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Upper Hamilton, St. Lawrence
C	Catskill Mountains Central New York Region Eastern Southern Tier Finger Lakes Mohawk Valley region Penn-York Valley	Broome, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Tioga, Tompkins
D	Central New York Mohawk Valley region North Country Tug Hill	Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego
E	Central Southern Tier Eastern Great Lakes Region Finger Lakes Genesee Valley Western New York	Cayuga, Chemung, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne, Yates
F	Catskill Mountains Hudson Valley (west) and Highlands New York metropolitan area	Greene, Orange, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster
G	Adirondack Mountains Capital District	Albany, Fulton, Lower Hamilton, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, Washington
K	Hudson Valley (east) and Highlands New York metropolitan area	Columbia, Dutchess, Putnam, Westchester
L	Long Island New York metropolitan area	Nassau, Suffolk
NYC	Long Island New York City New York metropolitan area	New York City (Bronx, Kings (Brooklyn), New York (Manhattan), Richmond (Staten Island), Queens)
T	Capital District Catskills Central New York Finger Lakes Hudson Valley (west) New York metropolitan area Western New York	New York State Thruway, (Interstate 84, 1991–2010)<ref name="DOT takeover story">Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Refn

Each Troop encompasses 2–4 "Zones" which are referred to simply by a Zone number. There are up to several "sub-stations" located within each zone.

RanksEdit

Rank	Superintendent	First Deputy Superintendent	Deputy Superintendent (Colonel)	Assistant Deputy Superintendent (Lieutenant Colonel)	Staff Inspector	Major	Captain	Lieutenant	Technical Lieutenant	Chief Technical Sergeant	Staff Sergeant	First Sergeant	Senior Investigator (plainclothes)	Zone Sergeant	Sergeant Station Commander	Technical Sergeant	Sergeant	Investigator (plainclothes)	Trooper
Insignia	File:US-O8 insignia.svg	File:US-O7 insignia.svg	File:Colonel Silver.png	File:US-O5 insignia.svg	File:Colonel Gold-vector.svg	File:US-O4 insignia.svg	File:US-O3 insignia.svg	File:US-O2 insignia.svg	File:US-OF1B.svg	File:NYSP Chief Technical Sergeant Stripes.png	File:NYSP Staff Sergeant Stripes.png	File:NYSP - 1st Sergeant Stripes.png	No insignia	File:NYSP Zone Sergeant Stripes.png	File:NYSP Sergeant Station Commander Stripes.png	File:NYSP Technical Sergeant Stripes.png	File:NYSP Sergeant Stripes.png	No insignia

UniformsEdit

Trooper uniforms are made of grey wool, with the exception of the Gore-Tex jacket. Prior to 1958, uniforms (shirts, jackets and britches) were woven of equal parts white fiber and black fiber to symbolize the impartiality of justice.Template:Citation needed The NYSP do not wear a badge on their uniform shirts.<ref>Template:Cite book Template:Self-published source</ref>Template:Self-published inline

EquipmentEdit

Current equipmentEdit

Glock 21 Gen 4 .45 ACP

Previously issued equipmentEdit

Glock 37 .45 GAP (2007–2018)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Glock 17 9mm (1990–2007)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Smith & Wesson Model 681 .357 Magnum
Smith & Wesson Model 13 .357 Magnum

CamerasEdit

The New York State Police is one of only five state police agencies in the United States that does equip its state police vehicles with dashboard cameras. New York State Troopers starting on April 5, 2021 have started receiving body-worn cameras.<ref name="AP">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

AviationEdit

File:StatePoliceHelicopter-nyc-2020.png

New York State Police helicopter parked at a helipad in New York City 2020

The New York State Police has three Bell 407 single engine utility helicopters, six Bell 430 twin engine helicopters, three Bell UH-1 “HUEY 2” Single engine utility helicopters and one UH-1H “HUEY 1” Single engine utility helicopter. Their other aircraft are two Cessna 206 Stationair Single engine airplanes, one Cessna 172 Single engine airplane, one Partenavia 68 Twin engine observation airplane, one Sikorsky S-76 (used for transporting the governor), and two Beech King Air twin engine turboprop airplanes. All of these aircraft operate under the call sign “GrayRider”.<ref name="Aircraft troopers.ny">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2025, New York State Police put an order for a Airbus H160 and three Airbus H145<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Line of duty deathsEdit

Since its establishment, a total of 162 officers and 2 K9s have died in the line of duty.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>