Arkansas State Police

The Arkansas State Police is a state police agency for Arkansas, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state. It was created to protect the lives, property and constitutional rights of people in Arkansas. The uniformed division is as a highway patrol not a general power police as the Arkansas constitution grants that authority to the various county sheriffs and local police. While the Arkansas State Police was developed primarily to enforce liquor laws and assist local police departments, all commissioned State Troopers have arrest authority that is equal to that of the County Sheriffs regarding any/all criminal and traffic laws of Arkansas. The official duty of the Arkansas State Police is to serve as an assisting agency to local agencies and to aid in the supply of resources not afforded to the local agencies.

Not to be confused with Arkansas Highway Police.

Arkansas State Police
Badge of the State Police
Abbreviation	ASP
Agency overview
Formed	March 19, 1935 (1935-03-19)
Superseding agency	Arkansas Department of Public Safety
Employees	976 (as of 2020) [1]
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction	Arkansas, USA
ASP Troop Map
Size	53,179 square miles (137,730 km^2)
Population	2,834,797 (2007 est.)[2]
Legal jurisdiction	Statewide
General nature	Civilian police
Operational structure
Headquarters	Little Rock, Arkansas[3]
Troopers	548 (as of 2020) [1]
Civilians	428 (as of 2020) [1]
Agency executive	Colonel Bill Bryant[4], Director
Website
http://www.asp.arkansas.gov/index.html

ASP car

Like the Arkansas State Police, the Arkansas Highway Police also has statewide jurisdiction, but serves as the enforcement arm of the Arkansas Department of Transportation.

On March 19, 1935, when Arkansas Governor J.M. Futrell and the Arkansas General Assembly approved and signed into law Act 120, known as the Chrip-Carter bill, the Arkansas State Police was born.

The first men to be empowered in Arkansas with statewide law enforcement duties and responsibilities were known as Rangers. The name later changed to troopers.[5]

State Police Commission

The seven member State Police Commission is composed of seven members appointed by the Governor of Arkansas for a term of seven (7) years. The officers of the Commission will be chairman, vice-chairman and secretary. Election of officers will be held annually at the January commission meeting. These officers shall perform the duties prescribed by applicable law, this rule, and the parliamentary authority adopted by the agency. The commission is responsible for the overall control of the Arkansas State Police.

Current Members:[6]

Jane Christenson - Chairman, Harrison, Term: 2014 - 2020

Neff Basore - Vice-Chairman, Bella Vista, Term: 2015 - 2021

Bill Benton - Secretary, Heber Springs, Term: 2016 - 2022

Stephen Edwards - Member, Marianna, Term: 2017-2023

Jeffery Teague - Member, El Dorado, Term: 2018 - 2024

John Allison - Member, Conway, Term: 2019-2025

Jim Hinkle - Member, Conway, Term: 2020-2026

Organization

• ASP Director - Currently Colonel William "Bill" Bryant
  • Deputy Director
  • Director's Staff
• Administrative Services Division
• ASP Personnel
• Trooper Recruiting
• Highway Patrol Division

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. 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 One State Police Plaza Dr., Little Rock, Arkansas:

• Eastern region with A, B, C, D, E & F Troops, is headed by Major Jason Aaron.
• Western region with G, H, I, J, K & L Troops, is headed by Major Forrest Marks.

The Highway Patrol Division's troops are as follows:

• Troop A - Little Rock, Arkansas serves Faulkner, Lonoke, Pulaski, Saline counties.
• Troop B - Newport, Arkansas serves Cleburne, Independence, Jackson, Lawrence, Sharp, White counties.
• Troop C - Jonesboro, Arkansas serves Clay, Craighead, Greene, Mississippi, Poinsett, Randolph counties.
• Troop D - Forrest City, Arkansas serves Crittenden, Cross, Lee, Monroe, Phillips, Prairie, St. Francis, Woodruff counties.
• Troop E - Pine Bluff, Arkansas serves Arkansas, Desha, Jefferson, Lincoln counties.
• Troop F - Warren, Arkansas serves Ashley, Bradley, Calhoun, Chicot, Cleveland, Dallas, Drew, Ouachita, Union counties.
• Troop G - Hope, Arkansas serves Columbia, Hempstead, Howard, Lafayette, Little River, Miller, Nevada, Sevier counties.
• Troop H - Fort Smith, Arkansas serves Crawford, Franklin, Logan, Scott, Sebastian counties.
• Troop I - Harrison, Arkansas serves Baxter, Boone, Fulton, Izard, Marion, Newton, Searcy, Stone counties.
• Troop J - Clarksville, Arkansas serves Conway, Johnson, Perry, Pope, Van Buren, Yell counties.
• Troop K - Hot Springs, Arkansas serves Clark, Garland, Grant, Hot Spring, Montgomery, Pike, Polk counties.
• Troop L - Lowell, Arkansas serves Benton, Carroll, Madison, Washington counties.
  • Driver Licensing & Examination
  • Fatal Crash Summaries
• Criminal Investigation Division - Special Agents assigned to the division investigate criminal cases initiated by both the Arkansas State Police and local law enforcement agencies.
• Crimes Against Children Division - consists of a central administrative office, hotline operations, and Nine area investigative offices covering the entire state.

Administrator and Area Offices

• Highway Safety Office
• Regulatory Services
  • Alarm Installation/Monitoring
  • Blue Light Sales (emergency lights used by law enforcement)
  • Combustibles/Explosives
  • Concealed Handgun Licensing
  • Crash Record Information
  • Fire Marshal
  • Fire Alarm/Sprinkler Systems
  • ID Bureau & AFIS
  • Precious Metals
  • Private Investigators
  • Salvage Auction Buyer
  • Used Motor Vehicle Licensing

Fallen officers

Since its formation in 1935, 21 ASP troopers have been killed in the line of duty. The most common cause of line of duty deaths to date is automobile accidents.[7]

Rank	Name	Date of Death	Cause of Death
Trooper	Sidney Pavatt	09-25-1948	Was fatally wounded outside a residence while searching for a burglary suspect.
Trooper	Ermon Cox	08-17-1958	Was fatally wounded while attempting to arrest a DWI suspect.
Sergeant	Elmer Bradshaw	12-11-1965	Was killed in an automobile accident while on duty.
Trooper	Harry Locke	09-24-1966	Was fatally injured in a vehicle crash.
Trooper	Allen Bufford	07-27-1969	Was fatally wounded during a highway violator traffic stop.
Trooper	Ron Brooks	02-27-1975	Was fatally wounded while apprehending three escapees.
Sergeant	Kelly Pigue	12-08-1977	Was fatally injured in a vehicle crash.
Sergeant	Glenn Bailey	09-05-1980	Was fatally wounded during a violator stop.
Trooper	William Rose, Jr.	12-28-1982	Was fatally injured in a vehicle crash.
Trooper	Louis Bryant	06-30-1984	Was fatally wounded during a violator stop.
Trooper	Robbie Klein	10-15-1984	Was fatally wounded during a search for two prison escapees.
Corporal	Phillip Ostermann	08-10-1985	Was killed in an aircraft accident while searching for marijuana fields.
Trooper	Michael Bassing	07-24-1986	Was fatally injured in a helicopter crash.
Trooper	Wilson Atkins, Jr.	07-03-1988	Was fatally injured after being struck by a passing vehicle during a violator stop.
Trooper	Clark Simpson	02-18-1989	Was fatally injured after his patrol car was struck from the rear following a violator stop.
Corporal	John Scarberough	09-02-1998	Was fatally injured when his patrol car was hit from the rear during a violator stop.
Captain	Tom Craig	12-04-2000	Was fatally injured after being struck by a vehicle while assisting the victims of an earlier traffic crash.
Trooper	Herbert Smith	02-14-2001	Died from injuries sustained in a vehicle crash as he responded to a child emergency call.
Trooper	Jimmie White	06-01-2002	Died from injuries sustained in the crash of his patrol motorcycle he was driving at the time of an escort involving the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels.
Corporal	Mark Carthron	09-12-2005	Died from injuries sustained the previous day when he was struck on Interstate 40 as he and other troopers attempted to stop a fugitive vehicle.
Sergeant	Richard LeBow	02-04-2008	Died from injuries sustained in a traffic crash while on patrol duty.

Rank structure

Title	Insignia	Description
Director (Colonel)		Rank of Colonel, appointed by the Governor of Arkansas to be the professional head of the Department
Deputy Director (Lieutenant Colonel)		Rank of Lieutenant Colonel, second-in-command of Department and second highest ranked commissioned officer in the Department.
Major		Responsible for serving as a Highway Patrol Division Regional Commander, as the Criminal Investigation Division Commander or as the Administrative Services Division Commander
Captain		Responsible for serving as a Highway Patrol Troop Commander, Criminal Investigation Division Regional Commander or other upper-level administrative and managerial staff position.
Lieutenant		Responsible for serving as a Highway Patrol Troop Assistant Commander, Criminal Investigation Division Company Commander or supervising a specialized function with the State Police
Sergeant		First supervisory rank, responsible for overseeing and supervising Troopers and non-commissioned personnel in the performance of their duties
Corporal		Rank attained by Trooper First Class after completion of 7 years of service. May supervise Troopers in the performance of their duties in absence of a sergeant.
Trooper First Class		Rank attained by Trooper after completion of 4 1/2 years of service.
Trooper		Rank attained by Recruits upon successful completion of the training academy, responsible for field law enforcement patrol or specialized or technical law enforcement function.
Cadet		A Cadet is a new recruit, and is the rank held by all personnel while assigned as a student at the training academy. These personnel do not wear rank insignia.

In popular culture

• The third season of HBO's True Detective depicted Mahershala Ali and Stephen Dorff as Arkansas State Police detectives.
• In the 1973 film White Lightning starring Burt Reynolds, the Arkansas State Police are seen pursuing Reynolds boot legging character, Gator McKlusky.

See also

• List of law enforcement agencies in Arkansas
• State police
• State patrol
• Highway patrol
• Dwight Tosh
• Milton Nicks

References

1. USDOJ Statistics Archived 2008-11-20 at the Wayback Machine
2. https://www.census.gov/popest/states/NST-ann-est.html Archived 2010-11-08 at the Library of Congress Web Archives 2007 Population Estimates
3. Home page. Arkansas State Police. Retrieved on April 20, 2015. "One State Police Plaza DrLittle Rock, AR 72209"
4. "Arkansas State Police Website". Arkansas State Police Website.
5. http://www.asp.arkansas.gov/asp/asp_story.html Arkansas State Police Website
6. http://asp.arkansas.gov/directors-office/asp-commission/

External links

• Arkansas State Police