State Highway Patrol Posts moved due to route decommissioning

[GCrites]

I drive past the old Lancaster OH State Highway Patrol post often. They moved to a new facility when US-33 bypassed Lancaster making the post no longer on a federal or state highway. They moved it to a two lane state route (OH 188) next to its interchange with the new alignment of US-33. The old patrol post is now used as spillover storage for cars at an adjacent dealership.

What are some other instances of this phenomenon?

[cpzilliacus]

What are some other instances of this phenomenon?

Maryland seems indifferent as to where it locates its State Police barracks. 

Some are located on county roads, some are on major U.S. routes, and at least one overlooks an Interstate highway.  I think there is some effort to have them close to freeways (in counties that have those, the Eastern Shore counties have a relatively few number of miles of freeway).

The Rockville Barrack was formerly in the interchange of I-270 and Md. 28, but it had to move when the interchange was reconstructed and their building razed.  They moved to at least one interim location before getting a new "permanent" building on county-maintained Montrose Road about a half mile west of I-270.

[Rothman]

Heh.  There was a "recent" move of a NY State Trooper barracks from off of US 9 in Loudonville, NY to NY 7 in Latham (possibly easier access to I-87 played a factor?).  Quite the Taj Mahal they built, too!

[Bitmapped]

I drive past the old Lancaster OH State Highway Patrol post often. They moved to a new facility when US-33 bypassed Lancaster making the post no longer on a federal or state highway. They moved it to a two lane state route (OH 188) next to its interchange with the new alignment of US-33. The old patrol post is now used as spillover storage for cars at an adjacent dealership.

I really doubt OSHP moved the post just because it was no longer on a state route.  What's more likely was that it was time to upgrade the facility and they relocated it to a more convenient location.

[Avalanchez71]

I am glad that we have a highway patrol and not a state police here in Tennessee.  I can say that some of the posts are really outdated here and they generally close to the interstate system.

[BigRedDog]

I don't know if there are any rules for the Pennsylvania State Police, but the local unit will soon be moving. The barracks on US 19 South just inside the Washington city limits will soon be moved to SR 519 in Eighty Four, south of I-70. The current building is fairly old and outdated; it's also in an area that has seen increased development in the last 20 or so years, which had led to increased traffic congestion for troopers in a hurry.

[hbelkins]

I am glad that we have a highway patrol and not a state police here in Tennessee.

What's the difference, other than semantics?

[roadfro]

I am glad that we have a highway patrol and not a state police here in Tennessee.

What's the difference, other than semantics?

I don't see a difference either, really.

In Nevada, the highway patrol was originally the state police. Even now, while NHP's primary responsibility is to enforce road laws on state highways, they still carry out some other law enforcement functions as a division of the state's department of public safety.

[Avalanchez71]

I am glad that we have a highway patrol and not a state police here in Tennessee.

What's the difference, other than semantics?

The highway patrol has a specific legislative mission.  Specifically in Tennessee whilst they are peace officers and they may enforce the criminal code, TN law states that they have a primary mission and secondary missions.  The code states they should be primarily patrolling the highways and streets of TN.  They also have other specific missions which further give them direction, i.e. Capitol Police, Governor's security, chop shop details, and identity theft (think fake DLs as the origin.)

A state police usually on the other hand has a much broader scope.  They can come swoop in and handle issues.  I like the idea of local control with policing wherein the sheriff is the chief conservator of the peace within the county.  This is less like a police state.

[cpzilliacus]

A state police usually on the other hand has a much broader scope.  They can come swoop in and handle issues.

The Maryland State Police are a fine agency with statewide jurisdiction. 

However, they are generally discouraged from conducting law enforcement operations within the corporate limits of municipalities (most of the state is unincorporated), unless ordered to do so by the governor or asked by the chief elected official or chief of police of the municipality for help, as happened during the unrest in Baltimore City.  One big exception to that rule is investigations of corrupt activities by county  and municipal employees, including elected officials and law enforcement officers.

[Avalanchez71]

With the case of the Maryland State Police that is correct.  This is by statute.  Then you have places like in PA where the state police lobby is so strong that unless your city/township/borough or the one town has a municipal policy force you are at the mercy of the state police.  The sheriff cannot conduct investigations.  They can act as conservators of the peace on view only.  They will not issue permits for constables to place lights on their vehicles and they are also barred from investigations as well.

So now a borough is held to the whims of whatever bureaucrat in Harrisburg believes what police protection should exsist in your borough.  With a stronger sheriff system you can more easily ask for the patrols that you need.  You also elect the sheriff and they will more receptive to your needs.

[cpzilliacus]

With the case of the Maryland State Police that is correct.  This is by statute.  Then you have places like in PA where the state police lobby is so strong that unless your city/township/borough or the one town has a municipal policy force you are at the mercy of the state police.  The sheriff cannot conduct investigations.  They can act as conservators of the peace on view only.  They will not issue permits for constables to place lights on their vehicles and they are also barred from investigations as well.

So now a borough is held to the whims of whatever bureaucrat in Harrisburg believes what police protection should exsist in your borough.  With a stronger sheriff system you can more easily ask for the patrols that you need.  You also elect the sheriff and they will more receptive to your needs.

Curiously, there are some Maryland municipalities that contract with the MSP to be the "local" or municipal police force, something the MSP gladly does, because they have been asked by the municipality to be there.

[cpzilliacus]

So now a borough is held to the whims of whatever bureaucrat in Harrisburg believes what police protection should exsist in your borough.  With a stronger sheriff system you can more easily ask for the patrols that you need.  You also elect the sheriff and they will more receptive to your needs.

I suppose those Pennsylvania municipalities need to have their own police force.  Can municipalities in Penn's Woods contract with the PSP to have troopers serve as the local police force? Probably not cheap, but I assert that the local taxpayers will appreciate having troopers around that are there to serve them.

[Mr_Northside]

I suppose those Pennsylvania municipalities need to have their own police force.  Can municipalities in Penn's Woods contract with the PSP to have troopers serve as the local police force? Probably not cheap, but I assert that the local taxpayers will appreciate having troopers around that are there to serve them.

I think that municipalities that don't have a municipal force get PSP services without paying directly for them.  It's actually an issue that comes up fairly often, because there are some municipalities (especially here in Western PA) that now have populations so large (and aren't exactly impoverished) that some lawmakers want a law that says if you are a certain size you either need to have your own municipal force or start paying the PSP for their services (Hempfield & N. Huntington Townships in Westmoreland County are usually the ones called out as examples)

[cl94]

New York won't move stuff if a route is decommissioned because the state troopers, who have jurisdiction in the entire state, are the main cops in most places without city/town/village police or suburbanized areas without the aforementioned but a significant county police agency. Do they tend to be on state-maintained highways? Certainly, but isn't a requirement. The Boston, NY barracks are on old US 219 (that was decommissioned a good 30 years ago) a few miles off of the state highway system.

[cpzilliacus]

I think that municipalities that don't have a municipal force get PSP services without paying directly for them.  It's actually an issue that comes up fairly often, because there are some municipalities (especially here in Western PA) that now have populations so large (and aren't exactly impoverished) that some lawmakers want a law that says if you are a certain size you either need to have your own municipal force or start paying the PSP for their services (Hempfield & N. Huntington Townships in Westmoreland County are usually the ones called out as examples)

That makes some sense, though in return, I think the elected officials in those municipalities need to expect PSP services that are dedicated to their municipality.

A little bit like sheriffs departments in at least some (maybe all) California counties, where municipalities can elect to pay the county sheriff a certain amount to effectively be the local police department, saving that municipality the trouble of creating and running a police department of its own.

[jeffandnicole]

So now a borough is held to the whims of whatever bureaucrat in Harrisburg believes what police protection should exsist in your borough.  With a stronger sheriff system you can more easily ask for the patrols that you need.  You also elect the sheriff and they will more receptive to your needs.

I suppose those Pennsylvania municipalities need to have their own police force.  Can municipalities in Penn's Woods contract with the PSP to have troopers serve as the local police force? Probably not cheap, but I assert that the local taxpayers will appreciate having troopers around that are there to serve them.

There's a few small NJ towns that don't have their own police force, and rely on the NJ State Police for any issues.  Occasionally there's a news story about it, although I don't know if there's been any real issues from it (and I would imagine it mostly depends on response times).  I would believe they at least have their own volunteer fire departments, which usually is what is more necessary in those town.