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North Dakota Highway Patrol

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North Dakota Highway Patrol
Patch of North Dakota Highway Patrol
Patch of North Dakota Highway Patrol
Seal of North Dakota Highway Patrol
Seal of North Dakota Highway Patrol
Badge of North Dakota Highway Patrol
Badge of North Dakota Highway Patrol
Flag of North Dakota
Flag of North Dakota
AbbreviationNDHP
Agency overview
Formed1935; 89 years ago (1935)
Employees197 (as of 2021) [1]
Annual budget$63,811,414 Million USD [2]
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionNorth Dakota, USA
Size70,762 square miles (183,270 km2)
Population779,094 (2020 est.)[3]
Legal jurisdictionNorth Dakota Statewide
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersBismarck, North Dakota
Troopers159 (authorized, as of 2022) [4]
Civilians40 (as of 2021) [5]
Elected officer responsible
Agency executive
  • Colonel Brandon Solberg, Superintendent
Parent agencyNorth Dakota State Cabinet
Regions4
Facilities
AircraftCessna 206
DJI Matrice 300 RTK
Website
NDHP Website

The North Dakota Highway Patrol, also known as the North Dakota State Patrol, is the state police and highway patrol agency for North Dakota, with jurisdiction over the entire state. It is a division of the North Dakota State Cabinet. Colonel Brandon Solberg has been serving as the 17th superintendent since July 1, 2018.

North Dakota Highway Patrol established in 1935 by the North Dakota Legislative Assembly.

North Dakota state troopers, when hired, attend the Law Enforcement Training Academy in Bismarck. It is a 22-week program in which the recruits learn all Peace Officer Standards and Training as well as advanced traffic information. Troopers are assigned to many different post locations within the four regions upon graduating from the Academy.

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

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The state is divided into four regions. Each region is commanded by a regional commander and contains two offices located in the major cities of the region.

Troopers work within their regions, however they have equal jurisdiction throughout the state.

Highway Patrol symbol

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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. The North Dakota Highway Patrol officially adopted the profile of Red Tomahawk as the patrol vehicle door emblem and department symbol in 1951.[6]

Rank structure

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The North Dakota Highway Patrol uses a paramilitary rank structure and has the following ranks:[7]

Title Insignia Notes
Superintendent (rank of Colonel)
The Superintendent holds the rank of Colonel. Appointed by the Governor of North Dakota. must be confirmed by the North Dakota Senate
Major
Majors are responsible for a command within the Highway Patrol.
Captain
A captain is a troop commander in the Field Operations Bureau or a division commander in one of the other bureaus.
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is the assistant commander of a division/unit.
Sergeant
A Sergeant supervises an entire Patrol shift in His/Her respective District.
Trooper No Insignia Candidates successfully completing the academy and field training are appointed as troopers.

Special Assignments

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Troopers can serve in special roles including the following:

Superintendents of the North Dakota Highway Patrol

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# Name Term
1 Frank Putman 1935–1937
2 H.G. Lund 1937–1938
3 Archie O’Connor 1939
4 Frank Putman 1939–1941
5 John Jeffery 1941–1943
6 E.M. Klein 1943–1953
7 Clark J. Monroe 1953–1961
8 Ralph M. Wood 1961–1978
9 James D. Martin 1978–1981
10 Norman D. Evans 1981–1985
11 Brian C. Berg 1985–1992
12 James M. Hughes 1993–2003
13 Bryan R. Klipfel 2003– 2007
14 Mark Nelson 2007–2009
15 James Prochniak 2009–2014[8]
16 Michael Gerhart, Jr. 2014-2018
17 Brandon Solberg 2018-Present

Fallen officers

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Since the organization was established, one North Dakota Highway Patrol officer has died while on duty.[9]

Officer Date of Death Details
Patrolman Beryl E. McLane
Friday, July 30, 1954
Struck by vehicle

Vehicles

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Current and historical patrol vehicles used by the North Dakota Highway Patrol.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Senate Bill No. 2011 - Funding Summary
  2. ^ Senate Bill No. 2011 - Funding Summary
  3. ^ https://www.census.gov/popest/states/NST-ann-est.html 2020 Population Estimates
  4. ^ https://www.nd.gov/ndhp/sites/www/files/documents/Annual%20Report%202022.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  5. ^ USDOJ Bureau of Justice Statistices Census of Law Enforcement Agencies 2004
  6. ^ NDHP History page
  7. ^ Kidd, R. Spencer (2012). Uniforms of the U.S. State Police & Highway Patrols. lulu.com. p. 11. ISBN 978-1-4717-7729-5. OCLC 929822564.
  8. ^ "James Prochniak Superintendent, North Dakota Highway Patrol". governor.nd.gov. The State of North Dakota. Archived from the original on 2010-04-24. Retrieved 2009-11-03.
  9. ^ The Officer Down Memorial Page
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