Abbreviation NDHP Employees 192 (as of 2004) | Formed 1935 | |
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Superseding agency North Dakota Highway Police Legal personality Governmental: Government agency Operations jurisdiction* State of North Dakota, USA | ||
The North Dakota State Highway Patrol is the state patrol agency for the state of North Dakota. It was established in 1935 by the North Dakota Legislative Assembly.
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North Dakota state troopers, when hired, attend the Law Enforcement Training Academy at Bismarck. It is a 22-week program in which the recruits learn all Peace Officer Standards and Training as well as advanced traffic information.
Major activities of the State Patrol include: traffic enforcement, crash investigation, reporting road conditions, and enforcement of laws where state property is involved. A major duty of a North Dakota state trooper is the ability to work independently and exercise good judgement accordingly. This may differ from other peace officer agencies where operations are teamwork oriented.
Regions
There are four newly formed regions for the North Dakota Highway Patrol, which combine the former eight districts:
Troopers work within their regions, however they have equal jurisdiction throughout the state.
Highway Patrol symbol
The North Dakota Highway Patrol symbol is a profile of Red Tomahawk, a Teton Dakotah (Sioux) Indian who lived on his land near the Cannonball River on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation near Mandan, North Dakota and who is famous for shooting Sitting Bull in the head.
Red Tomahawk, a subchief, served as a government policeman helping to create order in a time of turbulence. He was considered a champion of his people, a noble American, and a just man. Today his profile reminds travelers of the first people to roam the plains.
The North Dakota Highway Patrol officially adopted the profile of Red Tomahawk as the patrol vehicle door emblem and department symbol in 1951.
Fallen officers
Since the organization was established, one North Dakota Highway Patrol officer has died while on duty.