Posted: 9/14/2010 8:13:38 PM EDT
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Why does colorado have a "State Patrol" and not a "State Police"??? Does anyone know??? The instructor for one of my classes just put the question out there and I've had no luck ascertaining why... and I've contacted everyone I know from CSP. Thanks ya'll.
-SleeperShooter |
| It has to do with the powers of the Sheriffs. In the northeast you have State Police that have jurisdiction throughout the state and the Sheriffs primarily just run the jail and serve civil paperwork. Pretty much no enforcement. Kind of like Denver. As you move west where the cities are less populated and there is more unincorporated county land, the Sheriffs play a bigger part. And unlike State Police, they are led by someone who is elected. The Sheriffs to the west have a longer history of political power and are not likely to give that up. The Colorado State Patrol didn't come around until highways were started and the CSP was a public safety organization. Hence it's focus on traffic. |
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Combination of two earlier answers. The Sheriffs in Colorado do NOT want to surrenderer their authority and become jail administrators and backlash from ludlow. Early on most opposition was centered around ludlow but that has shifted over the last few decades and now the primary reason is the Sheriffs opposition.
The CSP started as the Colorado Courtesy patrol(most authority the state could get after Ludlow). Troopers where issued a large tool box and had to stop and render assistance loan tools to motorists. They have gradually morphed over the years but still pretty much only enforce traffic. |
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I had to do quite a bit of research on this because it went from an extra credit option to a two page report. So yeah, turns out Colorado started out with the "Rangers" being the only statewide LE agency and was also part of the Colorado National Guard. The same guy ran both so-called departments. Anyhow, between the Ludlow Massacre and another one that happened not long afterwards, they screwed the pooch in those two incidents. The only reason the Colorado State Courtesy Patrol became the Colorado State Patrol was the signing of the 1935 Patrol Act which gave them the responsibility for traffic enforcement and safety on the highways. Was quite interesting when you look at the entire history of the CSP and how they came about. Anyhow, thanks ya'll for the info and stay safe.
-SleeperShooter |