# reputation of state police? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 1, 2018, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reputation-of-state-police/818926 "2018-08-01T13:43:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2018, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reputation-of-state-police/818926/21 "2018-08-02T15:36:33Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > California Highway Patrol has an excellent reputation. They are better trained, are better equipped, and generally act more professional than your average city cop. The training academy for CHP officers is 26 weeks, which I think is a bit more than double what local agency officers receive. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2018, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reputation-of-state-police/818926/22 "2018-08-02T16:16:45Z")
Since the Texas Rangers were brought up earlier: the Rangers are promoted from the ranks of the Texas Department of Public Safety, the “Highway Patrol” officers with statewide jurisdiction. The Rangers can be called in for a wide variety of offenses, but mostly they get involved in capital cases and, in my experience, complaints against law enforcement officers. If there’s an allegation that, say, some local cop is taking drugs from the evidence room, you don’t want him to be investigated by his own agency; that’s just asking for a conflict of interest. So, the Rangers investigate it and write up a report. I’ve dealt with a lot of Rangers over the years. They all wear very conservative long-sleeved button-down shirts, ties with nothing fancier than a diagonal striped pattern (always with a Ranger pin), boots, and a white straw cowboy hat. And they drive big pickup trucks. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2018, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reputation-of-state-police/818926/23 "2018-08-02T19:48:21Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I flew into JFK Airport a few months ago, and as I was waiting for my door-to-door shuttle service, a couple of state troopers walked by. I thought about mentioning to them how out of place they seemed, since I was used to seeing them upstate on the parkways or on the thruways. There has been an ongoing pissing contest between Albany and NYC. Cuomo ordered Troopers in to enforce within the city. The NYPD isn’t happy. I don’t think the Troopers are too happy either since it means a stupidly long commute for most of them. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2018, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reputation-of-state-police/818926/24 "2018-08-02T21:02:20Z")
Based on an old reality series that follows a small town sheriff the state police will typically go to a small town to track down an escaped prisoner from the state penitentiary. They’ll take over the sheriff’s office and bring in state of the art equipment, but refuse to let the locals participate, saying it’s out of their league. In spite of this, the local sheriff will always end up capturing the escapee without resorting to violence, usually along a dirt road that the state police didn’t think to roadblock and refused to listen when the sheriff tried to tell them about it. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reputation-of-state-police/818926/25 "2018-08-03T00:58:09Z")
Not sure if NJ state police are considered elite or not, they do wear very interesting uniforms . . bit reminiscent of Nazi duds. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reputation-of-state-police/818926/26 "2018-08-03T01:58:53Z")
In Louisiana, the SP are the ones to investigate allegations of police wrongdoing. In particular some of the police shootings. A bit unusually, the SP here are in charge of regulating and policing the casinos. Louisiana has one land-based casino and multiple gambling boats that don’t have to actually go out on the water any more. All regulated by the SP and a board. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reputation-of-state-police/818926/27 "2018-08-03T09:26:24Z")
The Ohio State Patrol (OSP) has a reputation for good pay and _ **very** _ good retirement benefits. And there’s really no reason it should exist. We have 88 counties and 88 sheriffs offices, and they could easily do the work the OSP is currently doing. But it’s an elite organization, and the higher-ups have good political connections in Columbus. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reputation-of-state-police/818926/28 "2018-08-03T17:21:42Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > Based on an old reality series that follows a small town sheriff the state police will typically go to a small town to track down an escaped prisoner from the state penitentiary. They’ll take over the sheriff’s office and bring in state of the art equipment, but refuse to let the locals participate, saying it’s out of their league. > > In spite of this, the local sheriff will always end up capturing the escapee without resorting to violence, usually along a dirt road that the state police didn’t think to roadblock and refused to listen when the sheriff tried to tell them about it. To be fair, one look at that deputy and I wouldn’t let that department get involved either. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2018, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reputation-of-state-police/818926/29 "2018-08-04T19:01:55Z")
> [@Jennshark](#): > > Not sure if NJ state police are considered elite or not, they do wear very interesting uniforms . . bit reminiscent of Nazi duds. Or Nazi uniforms are reminiscent of NJSP duds. The NJSP was formed in 1921 and the uniform style has changed very little over the years. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2018, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reputation-of-state-police/818926/30 "2018-08-04T19:45:37Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Or Nazi uniforms are reminiscent of NJSP duds. The NJSP was formed in 1921 and the uniform style has changed very little over the years. Ha! Good one! NJSP uniforms do look really sharp and intimidating, which is probably the goal. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reputation-of-state-police/818926.md?page=1)