Georgia Department of Public Safety

The Georgia Department of Public Safety (GDPS) is a state body that is responsible for statewide law enforcement and public safety within the U.S. state of Georgia. The current Commissioner of the department is Chris C. Wright, who is also Colonel of the Georgia State Patrol.

Georgia Department of Public Safety
Georgia Department of Public Safety seal
Georgia Department of Public Safety seal
AbbreviationGDPS
Agency overview
Formed1937
Employees1,268 (as of 2004) [1]
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionGeorgia, U.S.
Georgia State Patrol Troop Map
Size59,425 square miles (153,910 km2)
Population9,544,750 (2007 est.)[2]
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersAtlanta, Georgia
Troopers856 (as of 2004) [3]
Civilians412 (as of 2004) [4]
Agency executive
  • Colonel Chris C. Wright, Commissioner
Child agencies
Website
Official Site

Divisions

On February 28, 1974, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) was made an independent agency separate from the Georgia Department of Public Safety.

Georgia State Patrol
Main article: Georgia State Patrol

The Georgia State Patrol is the highway patrol agency for the U.S. state of Georgia, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state. GSP Troopers primarily operate on the long stretches of Interstate highway as well as providing SWAT team response to rural areas of the state.

A lieutenant colonel serves as commanding officer over field operations; the current Lieutenant Colonel is William W. Hitchens, III.[5]

Georgia Capitol Police

Georgia Capitol Police is one of the divisions of the Georgia Department of Public Safety responsible for law enforcement of the Capitol Hill area of Atlanta, Georgia. A Captain serves as Director of Georgia Capitol Police; The current Captain is James D. Wicker.[6]

The Division is split into two units:

  • Capitol Police Services Unit
  • Capitol Square Security Unit

Georgia Motor Carrier Compliance Division

The Motor Carrier Compliance Division is responsible for the enforcement of the laws and rules of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This division conducts safety inspections of commercial motor vehicles especially buses and trucks, inspects highway shipments of hazardous materials, and performs compliance reviews (aka safety performance audits) on motor carriers. It also enforces laws and regulations that govern vehicle size (height, width, and length) and weight. It operates the 19 weigh stations in the state of Georgia and also performs roadside inspections on Commercial Motor Vehicles. Lastly the MCCD also enforces the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes through the city of Atlanta.

See also

References
  1. USDOJ Statistics Archived November 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Population Estimates". Archived from the original on 2010-01-03. Retrieved 2008-12-25. 2007 Population Estimates
  3. USDOJ Statistics Archived November 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  4. USDOJ Statistics Archived November 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Lt. Colonel William W. Hitchens, III".
  6. "Captain James D. Wicker".
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