Ohio State Highway Patrol

The Ohio State Highway Patrol is an internationally accredited agency whose mission is to protect life and property, promote traffic safety and provide professional public safety services with respect, compassion, and unbiased professionalism. The Patrol provides: Statewide traffic services to keep our roadways safe; Statewide emergency response services and support services to the public and the criminal justice community; Investigation of criminal activities on state-owned and leased property throughout Ohio, and; Security for the Governor and other dignitaries. The Patrol is a division of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, which is administrated by a director who holds a cabinet-level position in state government. The commander of the Patrol holds the rank of Colonel and is referred to as the Superintendent. The superintendent is selected from the Patrol ranks upon the retirement or death of a predecessor. Although personnel strength varies, the Patrol maintains a uniformed complement of about 1,600 officers. In addition, about 1,000 support personnel, including load limit inspectors, motor vehicle inspectors, motor carrier enforcement inspectors, dispatchers, electronics technicians, and civilian specialists complete the Patrol's personnel strength. From the ranks of its road troopers, the Patrol trains and maintains a number of officers in specialized law enforcement positions. Among these are: plainclothes investigators; traffic and drug interdiction teams and canine officers; commercial enforcement coordinators, inspectors, and crash reconstructionists. The Patrol also maintains a special response team, comprised of road troopers who are specially trained in weapons and chemical agent use, extraction techniques, and rapid response methods.