State Police Agencies in the United States!

State Police and Highway Patrol

State police agencies in the United States describe law enforcement agencies that conduct policing at the state level. Officers who work at the state police agency level are called state troopers.

State police work with local law enforcement agencies, as well as liaising with other state agencies in the treatment of severe crime. More often, state agencies are merging with what are known as Departments of Public Safety.

However, not all states use the term, “state police”; in fact, only twenty-three states do.

That said, almost all states have some version of a state police force under the guise of state police, highway patrol, or – as in the unique case of Hawaii – a sheriff division within the Department of Public Safety (DPS).

Along with Hawaii, DPS currently operate in an additional 30 US states:

Note that the term “highway patrol” is inaccurate. Many highway patrols act as state agencies – and so are involved in enforcing laws across many sectors including riots; acting as security at high-risk events; correctional duties; and other crime-related incidents. That said, highway patrol agencies do focus on traffic engagement and related police services.

State Law Enforcement Agencies

Below, we have put together the complete list of state police agencies in the United States – including, where needed, the highway patrol, sheriff division, or other law enforcement agency that acts in the same capacity as state police.

We have also included the headquarters of each agency alongside the current known number of state troopers who work at each agency.