The training academy for CHP officers is 26 weeks, which I think is a bit more than double what local agency officers receive.
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.
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.
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.
Not sure if NJ state police are considered elite or not, they do wear very interesting uniforms . . bit reminiscent of Nazi duds.
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.
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.
To be fair, one look at that deputy and I wouldn’t let that department get involved either.
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.