The Maryland State Police (MSP), officially the Maryland Department of State Police (MDSP), is the official state police force of the U.S. state of Maryland. The Maryland State Police is headquartered at 1201 Reisterstown Road in the Pikesville CDP in unincorporated Baltimore County.Home page . Maryland State Police. Retrieved on March 23, 2009."Pikesville CDP, Maryland." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on March 23, 2009.
Organizational structure The Maryland State Police is organized into a structure based on the United States military, composed of:
Department of State Police (commanded by the Superintendent) Bureaus (commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel) Commands (commanded by a Major) Troops (commanded by a Captain) Divisions (commanded by a Captain or Civilian Director) Barracks (commanded by a Lieutenant) Sections (commanded by a Captain or Lieutenant, or Civilian Director) Units (commanded by a First Sergeant)
The Maryland State Fire Marshal is a division of the department responsible for investigating suspicious fires, explosions, and arson, as well as enforcing state fire prevention laws and regulations across Maryland.
All sworn members are organized into 1 of 4 bureaus or are assigned to the Office of the Superintendent.
Office of the Superintendent The Office of the Superintendent includes staff and units that directly support the administrative responsibilities of the Secretary. Those units and staff report to the chief of staff. Some of the main functions of the Office of the Superintendent include:
Strategic Planning Command The Strategic Planning Command deals with all planning within the department. The command manages the Budget and Finance Division, Government Affairs Unit, Policing Division, Staff Inspections Section, and Planning and Research Division. Within the Planning and Research Division are the Property Unit and the Accreditation Section. The Accreditation Section is responsible for authoring, reviewing, and issuance of all departmental directives. In addition, this section manages all aspects of the MSP's CALEA accreditation. The MSP received CALEA's coveted Tri-Arc award in November 2014 and is accredited in Law Enforcement, Training Academy, and Communications.
Criminal Intelligence Section The section collects, analyzes, and coordinates the acquisition and dissemination of criminal intelligence information.
Department Prosecutor Section The section has overall responsibility for the prosecution of all sworn disciplinary cases.
Executive Protection Section The Executive Protection Section provides security for executive branch leaders in the State of Maryland, such as the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller, and Treasurer.
Legislative Security Section The Legislative Security Section is charged with ensuring the safety and security of the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, and all members of the General Assembly while in session.
Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion The section is responsible for ensuring compliance with the Governor's Code of Fair Practices; state and federal discrimination laws; and administering an equal employment practices program consistent with the requirements of federal and state laws governing equal employment opportunity and the State Personnel and Pensions Article.
Internal Affairs Division The section ensures thorough and objective investigations of allegations and complaints of misconduct against employees so that proper defensive or appropriate disciplinary actions are processed.
Legal Counsel Section The legal advisor represents the superintendent on legal issues and handles all matters referred by the superintendent.
Office of Media Communications The office is responsible for the daily dissemination of information to the media and public, and the facilitation of internal communication from the Office of the Superintendent.
Vehicle Theft Prevention Council Subtitle 2-702 of the Public Safety Article established the Vehicle Theft Prevention Council and Vehicle Theft Prevention Fund to assist in the prevention and deterrence of vehicle theft and related crimes, including vandalism and theft of property from vehicles.
Field Operations Bureau The Field Operations Bureau is the most visible part of the Maryland State Police since it includes all troopers who regularly interact with the public. Within the Bureau are two commands: the Northern Command and Southern Command, which together encompass the 22 barracks. The Northern Command is divided into the Central, Northern, and Western troops and the Southern Command is divided into the Eastern, Southern, and Washington Metro troops. In addition to the traditional law enforcement services, each Barrack also provides additional services to assist the public. These services include salvage inspections and car seat safety checks.
The Automotive Safety Enforcement Division is responsible, by law, for the State's vehicle safety inspection program and all safety equipment repair orders issued by law enforcement agencies. The Division also supervises more than 1,600 inspection stations throughout the State. The Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division operates weigh and inspection stations. It also focuses efforts on safety inspections of commercial motor vehicles traveling in the State, while also concentrating on the prevention of commercial vehicles being used as weapons of terror. The Special Operations Division includes many specialized units and teams that provide safety and rescue assistance to the citizens of Maryland.
The Field Operations Bureau is currently commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Daniel C. Pickett, Chief.
State Police Impaired Driving Reduction Effort A component of the Field Operations Bureau, SPIDRE was launched in May 2013 and focuses on reducing alcohol related crashes in Maryland by targeting areas across the state with high crash rates involving impaired drivers. The program complements the MSP's extensive efforts to improve highway safety and help Maryland achieve the goal of zero deaths on our roadways. It is funded by the Maryland Department of Transportation's Highway Safety Office. In 2013, 152 people were killed in alcohol related crashes, accounting for 33 percent of all traffic fatalities in 2013. Using data to identify high-risk areas, the elite team of seven specially trained Maryland state troopers and their partners continue to make arrests in these concentrated areas to further reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by impaired driving. Maryland state troopers will continue to collaborate with law enforcement partners in an effort to reduce the number of alcohol related crashes in Maryland.
Criminal Investigation Bureau The Criminal Investigation Bureau provides the investigative functions for the department in partnership with allied law enforcement agencies. It consists of the Criminal Investigation Command and the Drug Enforcement Command. The Criminal Investigation Command includes the Criminal Enforcement Division and the Forensic Sciences Division. It will often assist local municipalities that lack extensive crime scene investigation capabilities.
The Criminal Enforcement Division is composed of special investigative groups that work on criminal enforcement, gang and firearms enforcement, computer crimes, missing children, homicides, fugitive apprehension, vehicle theft, insurance fraud and environmental crimes. The Forensic Sciences Division provides forensic laboratory analysis and expert testimony.
The Drug Enforcement Command includes the Drug Enforcement Division. Their responsibility is to lead the Maryland State Police drug control strategy by focusing on the disruption of drug trafficking at every level. Through a variety of investigative techniques, personnel attempt to identify, infiltrate, and dismantle drug organizations operating in Maryland. The bureau underwent a realignment in 2013. Barrack investigators were placed into regional commands scattered geographically throughout the state. Investigators assist allied agencies with both minor and major investigations. A primary focus of the bureau is on those crimes having an inter-jurisdictional nexus (crimes which cross local, county, or state borders).
The Criminal Investigation Bureau is currently commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Rosemary K. Chappell, Chief.
Support Services Bureau The Support Services Bureau is divided into three commands: Logistics, Personnel, and Technology and Information Management. It provides materials and services to the Department of State Police and allied law enforcement agencies to enable them to meet their obligations and responsibilities. The Bureau's responsibilities also include managing the department's information technology and communications systems.
The Aviation Command transports critically injured citizens to trauma centers. The Command also provides aerial support for the department and allied public safety agencies, conducts search and rescue operations, and aids in criminal investigation and traffic control.
The Support Services Bureau is currently commanded by Lieutenant Colonel
Aviation Command
The agency operates a large Aviation Command focusing on medevac operations. Aviation also supports ground units of the state and local police. Funding comes from a vehicle registration surcharge ($17.00 per vehicle per year as of 2015) collected by the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration.
Based out of seven strategically located sections, the Aviation Command operates two types of aircraft.US civil aircraft register searches using "Maryland State Police" and "Maryland Department of State Police" as the Owner Name search parameters. Searches conducted 2020-05-11. The command operates as a multi-role helicopter unit conducting all scene-based medevac operations in the State of Maryland. Crews on the helicopter consist of two pilots and two Trooper/Flight Paramedics. Inter-facility (hospital to hospital) remain the responsibility of private medevac providers. The only exception is neonatal transports which are still handled by the State Police through an agreement with the Maryland Neonatal Transport Team.
Call Sign Section Name Base Location Status Trooper 1 Baltimore Martin State Airport Operational. Trooper 2 Washington Joint Base Andrews Operational. Trooper 3 Frederick Frederick Municipal Airport Operational as of August 1973; originally located at the Frederick Barracks; relocated to current location shortly thereafter; Trooper 3 has completed more hoist missions than all other sections combined. Trooper 4 Salisbury Salisbury Regional Airport Operational as of summer 1977 (weekends only); originally located at the Berlin Barracks; relocated to current location in summer 1978; full time operation began January 1979; operated JetRanger originally; transitioned to UH-1B in 1979; transitioned back to JetRanger in 1980; transitioned to the Dauphin in 1989. Trooper 5 Cumberland Cumberland Regional Airport Operational. Trooper 6 Easton Easton Airport Operational. Trooper 7 Southern Maryland St. Mary's County Regional Airport Operational as of July 1987; originally located at Hangar 101 of Pax River NAS in Lexington Park operating Bell 206B; relocated to current location in 1992; transitioned to the Dauphin in 1994 and the AW-139 in 2014. Trooper 8 Norwood Norwood Heliport Reserve
In addition to medevacs, the Aviation Command provides advanced search-and-rescue services and airborne hoisting in emergency situations through the deployment of highly trained crews. The command routinely assists allied law enforcement agencies by providing a robust airborne law enforcement platform through the use of advanced camera and searchlight capabilities.
On October 20, 2010, Maryland State Police awarded a $71 million contract to AgustaWestland to provide six AW139 helicopters. In 2013, the contract totaled 10 AW139s at a price of $121.7 million.