Indiana State Police
The Indiana State Police is the statewide law enforcement agency for the U.S. state of Indiana. Indiana was the 12th state to offer protection to its citizens with a state police force.
Its headquarters are in the Indiana Government Center North in Indianapolis.
History
On March 11, 1921, "the secretary of state with approval of the governor is hereby given power to appoint all necessary deputies in addition to the present officers of the law" to enforce motor vehicle laws. The secretary of state appointed a 16-man Indiana Motor Vehicle Police, becoming the first law enforcement agency in the state to have statewide jurisdiction to enforce traffic laws, although they had only "limited" authority and were only authorized to enforce the "rules of the road" and motor vehicle laws. On March 10, 1927, the Indiana legislature created a Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, also under the secretary of state, for the purpose of installing and maintaining "local identification systems for the identification and prosecution of criminals and the investigation of crimes." In 1933, the Indiana State Police was formed largely consisting of basically untrained, ill-equipped traffic officers left over from the Motor Vehicle Police. The first formal "academy" began July 15, 1935, and consisted of between 80 and 100 candidates. It was not until 1976 that the academy graduated its first female troopers.Indiana State Police Board
The Indiana State Police Board administers, manages, and controls the operation of the agency including the setting of salaries and compensation, with the approval of the governor and may review disciplinary action taken against a state police employee by the superintendent. The ISP board consists of six civilian members who are appointed by the governor and must be a permanent resident of one of six geographical regions of the state from which they are appointed. Members serve staggered, four-year terms and no more than three may belong to the same political party.Organization
The Indiana State Police is currently led by Superintendent Anthony M. Scott, whose position is appointed by the governor. His command staff includes a Chief of Staff who holds the rank of Colonel and six Assistant Chiefs of Staff, two of which hold the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, three holding the rank of Major, and one civilian employee. The Assistant Chiefs of Staff manage the following areas of the agency:- Intelligence and Investigations covers the investigative needs of the agency, and covers specialties such as Cybercrimes or Internet Crimes Against Children, and the State Police Laboratory Division, which primarily consists of criminal forensics for ongoing investigations.
- Operations consists of primarily field operations and patrol services, but also includes the oversight of the Recruit Academy and the Capitol Police Section.
- Logistics consists of the oversight of logistical needs of the agency to ensure it is prepared for operations. The elements overseen by the Assistant Chief of Staff for Logistics includes the Quartermaster Unit, Fleet Management, and Facilities Management.
- Communications and Information Systems consists of the oversight of the six Regional Dispatch Centers utilized by the State Police, the Firearms Licensing Unit, Information Technology Section, and the Criminal Justice Information Services Section.
- Human Resources and Administration focuses on the personnel management and administrative needs of the agency, and primarily includes the Employment Services Section, where the selection processes and recruiting is handled, the Human Resources Section, primarily concerned with policy and personnel allocation, and the Benefits Section.
- Fiscal strictly deals with the financial needs of the department, and includes matters such as payroll, overtime and travel assignments/management, contract administration, the purchasing unit, accounts payable, and accounts receivable.
List of ISP superintendents
Rank structure
The agency's rank structure is as follows :| Rank | Insignia | Notes |
| Superintendent | Image:US-O7 insignia.svg|center|27px | The Superintendent of the State Police is appointed by the Governor as the executive head of the agency, tasked with the daily oversight of the agency and its operations, ensuring that the agency is prepared and capable of responding as needed to perform their daily duties, or other duties as needed and assigned. |
| Colonel | Image:US-O6 insignia.svg|center|50px | Serves as the Chief of Staff for the Superintendent, assisting them in overseeing the daily operations and preparation needs for the agency. The Colonel may fill in as an Interim Superintendent during either the vacancy or absence of the Superintendent. |
| Lieutenant Colonel | Image:US-O5 insignia.svg|center|27px | Lieutenant Colonels serve as Assistant Chiefs of Staff at the State Police Headquarters in Indianapolis, overseeing the units and divisions assigned under them for management purposes. |
| Major | Image:US-O4 insignia.svg|center|27px | Majors may serve as an Assistant Chief of Staff at the State Police Headquarters in Indianapolis, overseeing the units or other elements under their command. Majors may also be assigned to oversee the operations of a command, which is a major division, such as the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division, or be appointed as either North or South Zone Commander, overseeing patrol and criminal investigations operations throughout the districts in their zone. |
| Captain | Image:US-O3 insignia.svg|center|25px | Captains may serve as senior leadership within their command under the supervision of a Major, or in certain circumstances, may themselves be appointed to oversee a command mentioned above. There are also Captains who serve as Area Commanders, overseeing patrol operations at districts within an assigned area of either the North or South Zone. Similarly, there is also a Captain appointed as an Area Investigations Commander, overseeing the Criminal Investigations Division within their assigned area. |
| Lieutenant | Image:US-OF1A.svg|center|10px | Lieutenants may be assigned to serve as the District Commander at any of the 14 State Police districts across the state, or may serve as a section or unit commander under the supervision of a Captain and/or Major. |
| First Sergeant | Image:VA - State Police First Sergeant.png|center|35px | First Sergeants may be assigned to serve as the Assistant District Commander at any of the 14 State Police districts across the state, assisting their Lieutenant in the oversight of operations at their district. They may also be assigned into sections or units, assisting their Lieutenant in that section or unit in overseeing the day-to-day operations of the unit. At each District, there is also a First Sergeant assigned as the District Investigations Coordinator, overseeing the Criminal Investigations Division operations in that district. |
| Sergeant | Image:VA - State Police Sergeant.png|center|35px | Sergeants may be seen serving as Squad Leaders for personnel assigned in patrol at a State Police district, as well as serving as front line supervisors in either patrol, criminal investigations, or other duties throughout the various sections and units across the state. Each district, with the exception of the Toll Road, has a Public Information Officer for media relations at the district. The District PIO holds the rank of Sergeant. |
| Corporal | Image:TX - Houston Police Senior Police Officer.png|center|35px | Corporals are front line supervisors for Troopers on the road, typically also serving as mentors for the Troopers. They may be assigned to other units and sections, but are typically found patrolling on the roads within their district and assisting the Troopers in that district. |
| Trooper | No Insignia | Troopers are the front line personnel, who start their careers in patrol, but may move throughout the agency into different specialties and assignments. This rank includes the designations of Senior Trooper at 10 years of service and Master Trooper at 15 years of service. |
| Probationary Trooper | No Insignia | After graduating the State Police Recruit Academy, graduates are appointed as Probationary Troopers, and will serve in this capacity for one calendar year, through the completion of field training and the first several months of solo patrol after they're issued their first police vehicle. |
| Recruit | No insignia | Recruits are those currently undergoing training in the State Police Recruit Academy. |
Troopers with 10 and 15 years of service are referred to as a Senior Trooper and a Master Trooper respectively, resulting in salary increases, but are not considered ranks.
As of July 2023, the starting pay for a Trooper is $70,000 per year.
Equipment
Aircraft
In 1948, the Indiana State Police acquired a Navion airplane. Aircraft continued to be utilized throughout the 1950s and the Aviation Section continued to grow having helicopters introduced into the air fleet. Today, the Indiana State Police have two fixed-wing aircraft, three helicopters and six pilots used for law enforcement throughout the state which are maintained by the Aviation Section, a part of the Special Operations Section. The Indiana State Police also conduct joint operations with the Indiana National Guard to combat against illegal outdoor cannabis cultivation sites.Service weapons
In 2006, around 50 Glock.40 S&W handguns issued to state troopers were identified as defective, impairing function. The handguns were replaced with the Glock 17 9mm, which functioned perfectly.The Indiana State Police chose the SIGM400 rifle for its SWAT in 2012, and chose the SIG-Sauer P227 as its duty pistol, alongside the SIG-Sauer P365 as a backup pistol in 2019.
Troopers are issued the Remington 870 12 gauge Police Magnum shotgun. Troopers are also issued an AR-15 styled rifle as their patrol rifle as a result of increasing gun violence across the country.