What is the value of a Resident Trooper for Kent?

[Tapout 42]

My folks just moved to Kent, CT in an area covered only by a resident trooper. This trooper works M-F, 9-5, and is apparently paid close to $100k per year to do little else but be around during those work hours.

The town is run by penny-pinching, no crime ever happens here so why bother locking my house or car doors- types. They are actively considering eliminating the resident trooper program so as to save the town the equivalent of this trooper's salary. But without this trooper available, the typical response time to a 911 call of any sort will be at least 30-45 minutes. Imagine that as they are being burglarized or their house is burning down.

Please let me know your thoughts and views for and against eliminating this resident trooper program. Thanks in advance!

Check this out! The resident trooper runs this new site: www.kentcrimewatch.com

Tapout

Edited May 6, 2009 by Tapout

[tdc202 0]

Intresting My mother in law lives there too.wonder if she knows more about it. I personally think it's a bad idea to get rid of them.

[SageVigiles 1,194]

100K per year is alot. In reality he probably doesn't make that much. Resident Troopers make the same as a regular Trooper, based on rank of course. RSTs get something like $100 extra a month for "hazard pay" for being on a special unit, just as K9, Aviation, SWAT, etc makes. He's probably a Trooper First Class, MAYBE a Trooper Sergeant. The town pays only 70% of his costs, the rest is covered by the state. If that Trooper can't work a certain shift, it will go in as an OT job to be filled with regular troopers from Troop L or whoever else can fill in. It is important to mention he is not the ONLY State Police unit assigned to that area. Kent, like every other town, is also covered by a Patrol Sector (probably shared with a few other small towns up there) so there's another Trooper in the region for backup if its really needed.

My town, New Fairfield CT, uses a combination of Resident State Troopers and town "constables", who are real certified Police Officers, but are not in command. There is a Trooper Sergeant, probably 5 or 6 regular Residents that work the town and 5 or 6 town cops as well. You could have a shift with 2 town cops, 1 townie and 1 Trooper, or 2 Troopers. The Tpr. Sgt. works 9-5 on weekdays. Its an OK program, but the benefit is the cost to the town. There have been several attempts to get an independent department in New Fairfield, but A. it costs more money and B. people were tricked into believing that they wouldn't get specialty services (Major Crime Squad, which is CSP's CSI, SWAT, K9, Dive Team etc) because of that. That isn't true though, CSP's specialized divisions are available to ANY department in the state. There are pros and cons to the system.

Edited May 7, 2009 by SageVigiles

[turk182 37]

Here is a article from the "News Times" published last month it has some back ground info. Troop L covers 600 square mile with 5 troopers kinda scary.

http://www.newstimes.com/ci_12204803

[eckyphats 0]

towns like Kent do not really have th tax base or can afford a full time police dept....

[Guest]

I agree that Kent definitely cannot afford their own full time police department, nor do they justify it. However, They definitely should have the resident trooper. The police coverage is spotty enough even in a (different) town with a town constable, a resident trooper, and coverage from Troop A, to think that Kent would get rid of their resident trooper when the only coverage is Troop L is crazy.

[helicopper 1,050]

100K per year is alot. In reality he probably doesn't make that much. Resident Troopers make the same as a regular Trooper, based on rank of course. RSTs get something like $100 extra a month for "hazard pay" for being on a special unit, just as K9, Aviation, SWAT, etc makes. He's probably a Trooper First Class, MAYBE a Trooper Sergeant. The town pays only 70% of his costs, the rest is covered by the state. If that Trooper can't work a certain shift, it will go in as an OT job to be filled with regular troopers from Troop L or whoever else can fill in. It is important to mention he is not the ONLY State Police unit assigned to that area. Kent, like every other town, is also covered by a Patrol Sector (probably shared with a few other small towns up there) so there's another Trooper in the region for backup if its really needed.

My town, New Fairfield CT, uses a combination of Resident State Troopers and town "constables", who are real certified Police Officers, but are not in command. There is a Trooper Sergeant, probably 5 or 6 regular Residents that work the town and 5 or 6 town cops as well. You could have a shift with 2 town cops, 1 townie and 1 Trooper, or 2 Troopers. The Tpr. Sgt. works 9-5 on weekdays. Its an OK program, but the benefit is the cost to the town. There have been several attempts to get an independent department in New Fairfield, but A. it costs more money and B. people were tricked into believing that they wouldn't get specialty services (Major Crime Squad, which is CSP's CSI, SWAT, K9, Dive Team etc) because of that. That isn't true though, CSP's specialized divisions are available to ANY department in the state. There are pros and cons to the system.

100K is a lot but probably includes fringe benefits and other "costs" that don't relate directly to the trooper's salary.

It's nice to know that CT is so well protected - five troopers for 600 square miles. Tie up two of them at a bad accident and you only have to cover 200 square miles if you're one of the remaining guys. Response times must not be an issue at all.

No, a town like Kent probably can't afford a full-time PD but the resident trooper program is a great option to increase the coverage in a town in a reasonably cost effective manner. At least its some police presence.

[tdc202 0]

Sage Thanks for explaining it better to me. I didn't know it was that bad for that area.

[10-Buff-4 0]

100K per year is alot. In reality he probably doesn't make that much. Resident Troopers make the same as a regular Trooper, based on rank of course. RSTs get something like $100 extra a month for "hazard pay" for being on a special unit, just as K9, Aviation, SWAT, etc makes. He's probably a Trooper First Class, MAYBE a Trooper Sergeant. The town pays only 70% of his costs, the rest is covered by the state. If that Trooper can't work a certain shift, it will go in as an OT job to be filled with regular troopers from Troop L or whoever else can fill in. It is important to mention he is not the ONLY State Police unit assigned to that area. Kent, like every other town, is also covered by a Patrol Sector (probably shared with a few other small towns up there) so there's another Trooper in the region for backup if its really needed.

My town, New Fairfield CT, uses a combination of Resident State Troopers and town "constables", who are real certified Police Officers, but are not in command. There is a Trooper Sergeant, probably 5 or 6 regular Residents that work the town and 5 or 6 town cops as well. You could have a shift with 2 town cops, 1 townie and 1 Trooper, or 2 Troopers. The Tpr. Sgt. works 9-5 on weekdays. Its an OK program, but the benefit is the cost to the town. There have been several attempts to get an independent department in New Fairfield, but A. it costs more money and B. people were tricked into believing that they wouldn't get specialty services (Major Crime Squad, which is CSP's CSI, SWAT, K9, Dive Team etc) because of that. That isn't true though, CSP's specialized divisions are available to ANY department in the state. There are pros and cons to the system.

Resident Troopers are fairly common in CT-ranging from One or Two Troopers or a Resident Trooper Sergeant in command of Certified Police Officers.

http://www.essexct.gov/departments/police.html

http://www.ellington-ct.gov/town_services_...tegoryID=police

http://www.easthaddam.org/police.htm

http://www.mansfieldct.org/town/department..._safety/police/

Connecticut abolished Sheriffs back in 2000, and Sheriffs did not really provide Law Enforcement coverage, so far as I know. ( Civil Process,Prisoner Transports, and Court Security-Functions which became State and Judicial Marshals.) I'm not sure why the Resident Trooper Program is so popular, honestly. But, it does seem like a good balance given that there are no Sheriffs/County/Regional Police to pick up slack. And I think it is unfortunate that these programs, which seem like good Community Policing as well, are under the gun.

-Joe DA BUFF

[eckyphats 0]

100K is a lot but probably includes fringe benefits and other "costs" that don't relate directly to the trooper's salary.

It's nice to know that CT is so well protected - five troopers for 600 square miles. Tie up two of them at a bad accident and you only have to cover 200 square miles if you're one of the remaining guys. Response times must not be an issue at all.

No, a town like Kent probably can't afford a full-time PD but the resident trooper program is a great option to increase the coverage in a town in a reasonably cost effective manner. At least its some police presence.

this is why i don't live there..you have the option not to

[lad12derff 283]

My folks just moved to Kent, CT in an area covered only by a resident trooper. This trooper works M-F, 9-5, and is apparently paid close to $100k per year to do little else but be around during those work hours.

The town is run by penny-pinching, no crime ever happens here so why bother locking my house or car doors- types. They are actively considering eliminating the resident trooper program so as to save the town the equivalent of this trooper's salary. But without this trooper available, the typical response time to a 911 call of any sort will be at least 30-45 minutes. Imagine that as they are being burglarized or their house is burning down.

Please let me know your thoughts and views for and against eliminating this resident trooper program. Thanks in advance!

Check this out! The resident trooper runs this new site: www.kentcrimewatch.com

Tapout

I would have to say the money is well spent with response times like that. Not to mention he would be able to quickly pull an 1 3/4 off his crown vic for a quick knockdown.

[BMeehan282 8]

I would have to say the money is well spent with response times like that. Not to mention he would be able to quickly pull an 1 3/4 off his crown vic for a quick knockdown.

the RST program is somewhat misleading, the Trooper is typically not a 'resident' of the town they serve. They are assigned to the town, and their hours include travel time to the town. To think they are in town from 9-5 is naive, between admin stuff, training, fuel,etc at the troop, along with the travel time, you're lucky if they are 'in' town 6 hours a day. Another issue is a senior Trooper gets 4 or so weeks of vacation, sick days, training days, holidays, time leave, etc. ,so 52 weeks gets whittled down quite a bit.

The vast majority of the Troopers are fantastic, and personally do a great job, WHEN they are there. The RST system is outdated and woefully inadequate. It provides a false sense of security, it amounts to the same as community policing programs in cities that have been eliminated.

The big problem is that the state has grown, and the state police system hasnt grown with it. As stated 5 Troopers covering 600 sq miles is a joke.

Its not the Troopers its the system that doesn't work.

[Tapout 42]

the RST program is somewhat misleading, the Trooper is typically not a 'resident' of the town they serve. They are assigned to the town, and their hours include travel time to the town. To think they are in town from 9-5 is naive, between admin stuff, training, fuel,etc at the troop, along with the travel time, you're lucky if they are 'in' town 6 hours a day. Another issue is a senior Trooper gets 4 or so weeks of vacation, sick days, training days, holidays, time leave, etc. ,so 52 weeks gets whittled down quite a bit.

The vast majority of the Troopers are fantastic, and personally do a great job, WHEN they are there. The RST system is outdated and woefully inadequate. It provides a false sense of security, it amounts to the same as community policing programs in cities that have been eliminated.

The big problem is that the state has grown, and the state police system hasnt grown with it. As stated 5 Troopers covering 600 sq miles is a joke.

Its not the Troopers its the system that doesn't work.

Lad12derff: For those of us not in the fire service, what does it mean to "pull a 1 3/4 off his Crown Vic for a quick knockdown?"

I agree with most of what you stated, BMeehan, and I thank you for the input. This particular RST does live in Kent, and has for most of his career. Here is his excellent post in support of the program (for you to all draw your own conclusions):

A quoted post from www.kentcrimewatch.com

Dear Fellow Kent Residents, Business Owners,

My name is Scott, and for those of you who do not know me I am a member of the Kent Board of Education, a 30 year member of the Connecticut State Police, and I live in town. I am a Sergeant stationed at Troop "B" in North Canaan, where I also supervise three Resident Troopers, and 7 patrol Troopers.

I began my career in 1979 and spent 9 years at Troop "L" in Litchfield, which provides police coverage for Kent. While assigned at Troop "L" I was assigned the patrol that covers Kent, Warren, and Washington many times. As a Trooper I had the opportunity to observe and work with the Resident Troopers that worked at Troop "L". In my experiences I came to realize that a Resident Trooper provides a valuable service to their towns and residents. The information and knowledge that a Kent Resident Trooper has about the town and its residents is utilized by the Troopers at Troop "L", surrounding Police Departments, other Connecticut State Police Troops, New York State Police, and the Dutchess County Sheriff Department in their investigations. The information often results in arrests of people that have or could have committed crimes in Kent.

Those of us that have spent many years living and working in Kent realize that the town has grown in population and business activities, especially in the downtown area. With this growth comes a greater need for keeping the Resident Trooper Program in Kent. We have all also seen the increase in visitors on weekends, which has helped our town's economic growth. Traffic along Route 7 has increased, it is a main road from the Danbury area to Massachusetts, and beyond. Kent is home to three prep-schools with a student and staff population of approximately 1,000. When these schools have a Parents Weekend, Alumni Weekend, or a graduation the need for the extra police coverage that the Resident Trooper increases. The Kent Fireman's Fair Weekend, Pumpkin Run, Memorial Day Parade, and the upcoming Litchfield Jazz Festival, to name a few, have all shown to be popular events. With this increase in weekend and evening activity the town may be better served with a schedule that has the Resident Trooper working weekends and evening hours. The number of incidents that a Resident Trooper, on patrol has stopped from happening will never be known. The town can negotiate a Resident Trooper schedule that will better serve the needs of our town. The Resident Trooper Program is Community Policing, a community based program that many town Police Departments are going back to. We are even seeing this type of program in some schools with the School Resource Officer Program.

I am assigned to Troop "B" and not aware of the details of the issue that information about recent Burglary/Larceny/Vandalism investigations was not conveyed in a timely manner to the residents. I can see that residents and businesses would be concerned about it. With the Troop "L" Commander, Supervisors and Troopers being made aware of the issue, we will see better communications between Troop "L" and the town. With the establishment of a Kent Crime Watch site, the likes of which I have never seen before, in my 30 years in the Connecticut State Police, where the Resident Trooper and concerned citizens can post information is a great start to keep the problem from happening again. The town may also want to consider establishing this on the town web page.

Many of the towns surrounding Kent without a Resident Trooper have had some issues. They have seen some serious crimes/incidents:

The recent bank robbery and burglaries in Cornwall.

A 4 year old unsolved murder, the Burglary at the Sharon Pharmacy, and a past history of bank robberies.

In Warren, the suspect in a daytime murder in Southbury returned to Warren, causing the lockdown of the Warren Center School and a two day search for the suspect.

The town of Goshen saw an increase in Burglaries.

The benefits of a Resident Trooper Program in Kent are but not limited to:

Provides all residents, adult and children alike with a familiar face to discuss their questions and concerns. People go to the Resident Trooper with many private/sensitive issues involving their children, families, and neighbors.

Provides all businesses in Kent with a Trooper that they can discuss their private and sensitive issues they may have with other businesses and customers.

Teaches D.A.R.E., provides services for a safe environment, and assists the Students, Teachers, and Staff at Kent Center School, with many issues involving the students.

Assists the officials at the Town Hall, the Highway Department, and the Fire/Ambulance Department with their needs, and acts as a liaison with other agencies.

Provides for a quicker response to all types of emergency and non-emergency calls. The Resident Trooper also carries an AED, and is often the first one there for medical calls.

Fingerprints those residents who need them taken for a pistol permit, or other application that needs them. There is no need to drive to Troop "L" to have them taken.

Being a member the Board of Education I can appreciate the work of the people who serve on town boards. I would like to thank the Board of Selectman and Finance for their work. I am writing this with all due respect to them for their work. I feel that the Board of Selectman should look at the budget, and fine tune the budgets of the offices under their jurisdiction. The Board of Selectman should identify and make the $80,000.00 cuts in the budget that the Board of Finance requested. I believe that the money for the Resident Trooper Program should be put back into the town budget.

Thank you for your time, please feel free to pass this e-mail along to others.

Scott

Edited May 15, 2009 by Tapout

[IzzyEng4 427]

Connecticut abolished Sheriffs back in 2000, and Sheriffs did not really provide Law Enforcement coverage, so far as I know. ( Civil Process,Prisoner Transports, and Court Security-Functions which became State and Judicial Marshals.) I'm not sure why the Resident Trooper Program is so popular, honestly. But, it does seem like a good balance given that there are no Sheriffs/County/Regional Police to pick up slack. And I think it is unfortunate that these programs, which seem like good Community Policing as well, are under the gun.

-Joe DA BUFF

Having worked as a civilian dispatcher at a CSP troop, here is the skivey...............

The sheriff system in CT that was abolished in 2000 was for only the court and judicial systems for each county in CT (Fairfield, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London, Tolland and Windham). The sheriffs did not have arresting powers at all. In the 1960s, the county system of government was abolished by the state general assembly as it was antiquated (so was the story related to me). The sheriffs were retained up until 2000 as security for the judical system and now they are called Judicial Marshals who work for the court system. Each county had elected a sheriff and the now marshalls were deputies. We did not have a "Sheriff's Department" at all for many years.

Now I do not know if CT had ever had a sheriff system of policing like New York or several other states and commonwealths with arresting powers but I know several towns had elected sheriffs. As far as I know the Connecticut State Police which was established in 1903 (the first in the nation) had always covered towns with out thier own police force. If a town does not have its own police force, the State Police under the Connecituct State constiution has to provide police protection to that community. The community may or may not decide to have a resident state trooper assigned to thier town. Also several towns in their charters do not provide a seciton where it states they have to provide police protection.

Now having that said, several "resident state trooper" commuinites do have their own police force, some do not. The troop area where I worked had three towns covered by resident troopers; Bethany (where the barracks is located) Beacon Falls and Prospect. Bethany had two resident troopers assigned while Beacon Falls and Prospect had one. On the flip side, Bethany had maybe 1 or 2 constables / officers where as Beacon Falls and Prospect had several constables / officers working. Staffing did vary and all these officers were back up by the resident (when on duty) or the trooper who was located in that patrol area. Just to give you a demographic, Troop I's area included the southern, western and central areas of New Haven County covering Route 15 from Milford to Meriden, Route 8 from Shelton up to Naugatuck, all of I-691, and I-91 from Exit 3 in New Haven up to the Meriden / Middletown town-line. I-95 & I-91 exits 1 - 2 is covered by Troop G for highway patrol only, New Haven as a city is I's area.

The CSP trooper's union has for many years been fighting for better staffing and coverage, especially with towns not having thier own police force and rely on trooper coverage (regardless of a resident state trooper program).

http://www.ct.gov/dps/site/default.asp

[BMeehan282 8]

Lad12derff: For those of us not in the fire service, what does it mean to "pull a 1 3/4 off his Crown Vic for a quick knockdown?"

I agree with most of what you stated, BMeehan, and I thank you for the input. This particular RST does live in Kent, and has for most of his career. Here is his excellent post in support of the program (for you to all draw your own conclusions):

A quoted post from www.kentcrimewatch.com

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I assume you're Scott.

Good letter, and I agree with most of your concepts for sure.

I live in a RST area as well for a long time , the Troopers are good guys, however the RST system needs serious revamping.

You are 100% correct about Kents growth, school population and weekend traffic. However, in my experience, the RSTs virtually never work weekends, its a perk of the position to work tues - fri or mon-thurs. IF you see the assigned RST on a weekend, its more like he took OT and grabbed the Patrol for his RST town. I live between a few RST towns, and that is the case. The larger RST towns who employ more than one RST may sometimes have one assigned on weekends, if the constables arent around, chances are they're taking an OT shift too. Understand I am a municipal fire guy, i do not begrudge OT, its just that it is available on weekends.

The is also a significant communications issue between the troop & patrols and the assigned RST's. The RST's do not get all the information from the troop or patrol guys, the kent situation truly exposed that. Again, this isnt the Troopers fault, they are good, the system is very faulty. In my opinion, the majority of the problem is the command structure of the CT State Police. The Troop Command process is a revolving door of Officers. There is {typically} virtually zero communication between the Troop Commanders (meaning M/Sgt & LT) and the RST towns, they rarely, if ever visit the selectmen, the Fire or EMS Chiefs, nor the Constables. It is as if the RST Office is Siberia. IF, ands thats a huge IF, a M/Sgt or Lt visits a town in a non crisis, he will get transferred before his next visit. There is never any supervisory continuity.

The other huge issue is that the CSP makes no accommodation for the town who employs the RST system. They barely allow input from the town on the initial RST selection, and then there is very little, if any consideration for any further issues.

So does a town benefit from having an RST? The answer is yes from a community policing standpoint - you can get to know the Trooper and they can deal with things effectively when they know the players. Crimewise, it is no deterrent. Anyone with half a brain and a digital scanner can track the RST and patrol activity after paying attention for a few days, realize if the RST is off, the patrol may take an hour to get there, then burglarize the town wholesale. Christmas Eve it took Troop A so long to get to my DOA call at a house, that the ONLY thing I didnt do was bury the decedent myself, and that was after I called the Troop, and talked the Sgt into leaving the desk himself and responding.

It is not realistic to the residents or the Troopers for anyone to think that the current CSP system is at all effective. Troop A covers I-84 from Southington to NY, some of RT 8, and are the primary police force for Sherman, New Fairfield, Oxford, Roxbury, and Bridgewater. They do this with 6 Troopers on six patrols, that is a joke.

Again, to be perfectly clear - the Troopers are great, the system is woefully inadequate.

Bernie

[SageVigiles 1,194]

Izzy, technically the Fish and Game Officers (now EnCon) have been around longer than CSP, ask any Encon cop and they will tell you. Haha.

[IzzyEng4 427]

Izzy, technically the Fish and Game Officers (now EnCon) have been around longer than CSP, ask any Encon cop and they will tell you. Haha.

Okay cuz, but what does that have to do with this conversation???? LOL Your throwing stuff out their like me in a BS session!!! LOL Just busting them on ya Sage!

[SageVigiles 1,194]

Hey, I can throw trivia out there with the best of them brother. haha.

[engine968 8]

Izzy, are you sure about Connecticut S.P. being the oldest in the country, (1903)? One book I read said the Massachusetts S.P. was the oldest, having started in 1865............

Also, can you or BMeehan282 explain to a non-Connecticut resident what a "resident trooper" is and how one can be a resident trooper without living in the area. I thought "resident" means you live there. And what is the difference between a regular trooper and a resident trooper? Thanks guys!

[SageVigiles 1,194]

A Resident State Trooper (RST) is a State Trooper that is specially assigned to a specific municipality to act as that municipalities police agency. The phrase is a holdover from when RSTs had to be residents of that town, though they are no longer required to do so. They are usually experienced Troopers who transfer to the RST program. Resident Troopers have the same training, uniform and equipment as any other Trooper. Regular Troopers are assigned to Patrol Sectors (which can include towns and/or highways) but report to the Troop, not the town.

Many of CT's smaller towns use the RST program as a cost-effective way to provide law enforcement for their residents. The state covers something like 30% of the cost of the RSTs. Unlike Kent, some towns have 24 hour RST protection or use a hybrid of State Police and town Police (New Fairfield is a perfect example.)

Resident State Troopers do not really report to their respective Troops, they report to the First Selectman or Mayor or whatever town executive exists in that municipality. When a RST goes on duty, they do not have to go to Troop role call or anything like that, they are basically on their own program. Izzy can probably provide more info.

Edited May 19, 2009 by SageVigiles

[IzzyEng4 427]

Izzy, are you sure about Connecticut S.P. being the oldest in the country, (1903)? One book I read said the Massachusetts S.P. was the oldest, having started in 1865............

Also, can you or BMeehan282 explain to a non-Connecticut resident what a "resident trooper" is and how one can be a resident trooper without living in the area. I thought "resident" means you live there. And what is the difference between a regular trooper and a resident trooper? Thanks guys!

Well if you look at the Wiki, it said it has it founding in 1865 while Calvin Cooliage was governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Problem is he was born in 1872 and he was governor of Mass from 1919 to 1921. Plus the MSP essentially began to quell the rioting of the Boston Police Department union when its organizational beginning were announced in 1919 to create a new police force. Though it states it started in 1865, the agency it self was not a formidable police agency until 1921 when it was officially created. Also Mass is not a state, it is a commonwealth (just an FYI, not much difference between how the state government runs).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_State_Police

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_Coolidge

Now the Connecticut State police was founded on May 29th, 1903 and is the oldest State Police force in the nation and was created to prevent moonshine running. With this, CSP is the oldest continuous acting state police agency in the nation with police powers as such.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticut_State_Police

Now for the Resident State Trooper program. Initially when it was instituted, a trooper assigned this this duty would initially be living in the town he was in charge of. They had a phone and an office in their residence. As time progressed, the trooper was no longer required to live in town but if there was any sort of major incident, they are expected to respond to the scene for the investigation. If you look at the wiki link above it explains what you are looking for.

[eagle5473 7]

The CSP also requires that any town wanting to hire its own Constables, that they MUST be a RST town. You can not just have your own constables running calls from the Troop w/o the RST program in place.

[10-Buff-4 0]

Well if you look at the Wiki, it said it has it founding in 1865 while Calvin Cooliage was governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Problem is he was born in 1872 and he was governor of Mass from 1919 to 1921. Plus the MSP essentially began to quell the rioting of the Boston Police Department union when its organizational beginning were announced in 1919 to create a new police force. Though it states it started in 1865, the agency it self was not a formidable police agency until 1921 when it was officially created. Also Mass is not a state, it is a commonwealth (just an FYI, not much difference between how the state government runs).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_State_Police

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_Coolidge

Now the Connecticut State police was founded on May 29th, 1903 and is the oldest State Police force in the nation and was created to prevent moonshine running. With this, CSP is the oldest continuous acting state police agency in the nation with police powers as such.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticut_State_Police

Now for the Resident State Trooper program. Initially when it was instituted, a trooper assigned this this duty would initially be living in the town he was in charge of. They had a phone and an office in their residence. As time progressed, the trooper was no longer required to live in town but if there was any sort of major incident, they are expected to respond to the scene for the investigation. If you look at the wiki link above it explains what you are looking for.

Slighty off topic, the Massachusetts Metropolitan (District Commission) Police predate both the Connecticut State Police and the formal organization of the Massachusetts State Police, founded in 1893 and existing until the 1992 merger of Police Agencies in Massachusetts.

See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defunct_Massa...police_agencies

-Joe DA BUFF

[IzzyEng4 427]

Slighty off topic, the Massachusetts Metropolitan (District Commission) Police predate both the Connecticut State Police and the formal organization of the Massachusetts State Police, founded in 1893 and existing until the 1992 merger of Police Agencies in Massachusetts.

See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defunct_Massa...police_agencies

-Joe DA BUFF

Right, but it wasn't a state police agency in the present distinction. Good historical find though!

Eagle, thanks for the added information there, forgot about to add that in as well.

[10-Buff-4 0]

Right, but it wasn't a state police agency in the present distinction. Good historical find though!

Eagle, thanks for the added information there, forgot about to add that in as well.

Thank you for the props Izzy! You're right, the Metropolitan Police wasn't a state police agency as we would think of them today, but, I would add that they had jurisdiction outside of Boston (Quabbin Reservoir, for example.)

Thank you also for the clarification about Sheriffs. I met a gentleman the other night who was a Deputy Sheriff and is now a State Marshal. I also didn't know the CSP had Civilian Dispatchers, when I've called 911 and gotten the State Police, the answering person identified themselves as "Trooper".

P.S. That's a great open letter from the Sergeant about the value of Resident Troopers.

-Joe DA BUFF

[SageVigiles 1,194]

Joe DA BUFF,

Odd that you got a Trooper after dialing 911, maybe the dispatchers were busy and one of the desk guys picked up the phone. Izzy would know. I know in my town (we only have 1 dispatcher on each shift) if the dispatcher needs to use the crapper, one of the town cops or Troopers has to man the panel for him/her.

[10-Buff-4 0]

Joe DA BUFF,

Odd that you got a Trooper after dialing 911, maybe the dispatchers were busy and one of the desk guys picked up the phone. Izzy would know. I know in my town (we only have 1 dispatcher on each shift) if the dispatcher needs to use the crapper, one of the town cops or Troopers has to man the panel for him/her.

Ah-I apologize for omitting an important detail-it was a Cellular call to 911. I believe all cell calls to 911 default to the State Police. My area, even though it is suburban, has sub-par-ish cell reception. Things have improved, I now get my Town P.D. when I call (had to call a couple of months ago).

Interesting about how "Chain of Command" works.

-Joe DA BUFF

[IzzyEng4 427]

The state is the primary PSAP for cellphones along the highways and for all areas the CSP covers for police protection. 99% of the time when you call from a cell phone the call goes directly to the closest troop or to HQ on a rollover.