North Dakota Highway Patrol

Law enforcement agency

North Dakota Highway Patrol

Patch of North Dakota Highway Patrol

Badge of North Dakota Highway Patrol

Flag of North Dakota

Abbreviation| NDHP
Agency overview
Formed| 1935; 90 years ago (1935)
Employees| 197 (as of 2021)[1]
Annual budget| $63,811,414 Million USD[2]
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction| North Dakota, USA
Size| 70,762 square miles (183,270 km2)
Population| 779,094 (2020 est.)[3]
Legal jurisdiction|  Statewide
General nature|

* Civilian police

Operational structure
Headquarters| Bismarck, North Dakota
Troopers| 159 (authorized, as of 2022)[4]
Civilians| 40 (as of 2021)[5]
Elected officer responsible|

* Kelly Armstrong, Governor of North Dakota

Agency executive|

* Colonel Daniel J. Haugen, Superintendent

Parent agency| North Dakota State Cabinet
Regions| 4
Facilities
Aircraft| Cessna 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 Daniel J. Haugen has been serving as the 18th superintendent since December 15, 2024.

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

[edit]

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.

* Northeast Region: Grand Forks and Devils Lake
* Southeast Region: Fargo and Jamestown
* Southwest Region: Bismarck and Dickinson
* Northwest Region: Minot and Williston

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

## Highway Patrol symbol

[edit]

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 Sioux 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]

## Firearms

[edit]

* SIG P320 \- standard issue[7]
* SIG P226 \- Phasing out[7]

## Rank structure

[edit]

The North Dakota Highway Patrol uses a paramilitary rank structure and has the following ranks:[8]

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:

* Aviation (Manned and Unmanned)
* Crash Reconstruction Team (CRT)
* Cultural Liaison Officer
* Dignitary Protection
* Drug Recognition Expert (DRE)
* DUI Enforcement Team
* Emergency Response Team (ERT)
* Honor Guard
* K9 Program

## Superintendents of the North Dakota Highway Patrol

[edit]

# | 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[9]
16  | Michael Gerhart, Jr.  | 2014-2018
17  | Brandon Solberg  | 2018-2024
18  | Daniel J. Haugen  | 2024-Present

## Fallen officers

[edit]

Since the organization was established, one North Dakota Highway Patrol officer has died while on duty.[10]

Officer  | Date of Death  | Details

|
|

Patrolman Beryl E. McLane |

Friday, July 30, 1954

| Struck by vehicle

## Vehicles

[edit]

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

*   *   *

## See also

[edit]

* List of law enforcement agencies in North Dakota
* State police
* Highway patrol

## References

[edit]

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. ^ "2022 Annual Report - Mission, vision, values" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-04-23.
5. ^ USDOJ Bureau of Justice Statistices Census of Law Enforcement Agencies 2004
6. ^ NDHP History page
7. ^ a b "North Dakota Highway Patrol Adopts SIG Sauer P320". Police magazine. 2017-07-06.
8. ^ 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.
9. ^ "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.
10. ^ The Officer Down Memorial Page

## External links

[edit]

* North Dakota Highway Patrol website
* Information about Col. Bryan Klipfel

* v
* t
* e

State government of North Dakota

* State Capitol
* North Dakota Constitution
* Coat of arms
* Flag
* Seal

Executive branch|

* Governor
* Agriculture Commissioner
* Attorney General
* Auditor
* Insurance Commissioner
* Lieutenant Governor
* Secretary of State
* Superintendent of Public Instruction
* Tax Commissioner
* Treasurer
* State Cabinet

Legislative branch|

* Legislative Assembly
* House of Representatives
* Senate

Judicial branch|

* Court System
* Supreme Court
* Court of Appeals
* District Court
* Municipal Courts

Departments and divisions|

* Agriculture
* Career and Technical Education
* Commerce
* Corrections and Rehabilitation
* Emergency Services
* Financial Institutions
* Game and Fish
* Health
* Human Services
* Labor
* Land
* Office of Management and Budget
* Parks and Recreation
* Public Instruction
* Securities
* Seed
* Transportation
* Veterans Affairs

Boards and commissions|

* Board of Higher Education
* Industrial Commission
* Bank of North Dakota
* Mineral Resources
* State Mill and Elevator
* Public Service Commission
* Water Commission

Other|

* Highway Patrol
* State Library
* State Penitentiary
* Vision Services/School for the Blind
* State School for the Deaf
* University System

* v
* t
* e

Highway patrol/state police in the United States

See also: Law enforcement in the United States and Highway patrol

States|

* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* Highway Police
* State Police
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

Federal district|

* District of Columbia

Insular areas|

* American Samoa
* Guam
* Northern Mariana Islands
* Puerto Rico
* U.S. Virgin Islands

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