| Georgia Department of Public Safety | |
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 Georgia Department of Public Safety seal | |
| Abbreviation | GDPS |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 1937 |
| Employees | 1,268 (as of 2004)[1] |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | Georgia, U.S. |
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| Georgia State Patrol Troop Map | |
| Size | 59,425 square miles (153,910 km2) |
| Population | 9,544,750 (2007 est.)[2] |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Troopers | 856 (as of 2004)[3] |
| Civilians | 412 (as of 2004)[4] |
| Agency executive |
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| Child agencies |
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| Website | |
| dps | |
TheGeorgia Department of Public Safety (GDPS) is a state body that is responsible for statewide law enforcement and public safety within the U.S. state ofGeorgia. The current Commissioner of the department is William W. Hitchens, who is also Colonel of theGeorgia State Patrol.
On February 28, 1974, theGeorgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) was made an independent agency separate from the Georgia Department of Public Safety.[citation needed]
The department of Public Safety cooperates with theUS Immigration and Customs Enforcement, designating full time personnel to detaining and investigating federal immigration offenses.[5]
The Georgia State Patrol is thehighway patrol agency for theU.S. state of Georgia, which hasjurisdiction anywhere in the state. GSP Troopers primarily operate on the long stretches of Interstate highway as well as providing SWAT team response to rural areas of the state.[citation needed]
A lieutenant colonel serves as commanding officer over field operations; the current Lieutenant Colonel is Kendrick Lowe.[citation needed]
Georgia Capitol Police is one of the divisions of the Georgia Department of Public Safety responsible for law enforcement of the Capitol Hill area of Atlanta, Georgia. A Major serves as Director of Georgia Capitol Police; Major Gary Langford is the current adjutant.[citation needed]
The Division is split into two units:
The Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division is responsible for the enforcement of the laws and rules of theFederal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This division conducts safety inspections of commercial motor vehicles especially buses and trucks, inspects highway shipments of hazardous materials, and performs compliance reviews (aka safety performance audits) on motor carriers. It also enforces laws and regulations that govern vehicle size (height, width, and length) and weight. It operates the 19weigh stations in the state of Georgia and also performs roadside inspections on Commercial Motor Vehicles. Lastly the MCCD also enforces theHigh Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes through thecity of Atlanta.[citation needed]
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