Virginia State Police

Virginia Department of State Police
Patch of Virginia State Police
Patch of Virginia State Police
Badge of a Trooper
Badge of a Trooper
Flag of the Commonwealth of Virginia
Common nameVirginia State Police
AbbreviationVSP
Agency overview
Formed1932; 92 years ago (1932)
Preceding agency
  • Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles
Employees2,966 (as of September 24, 2018)[1]
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionU.S.
Virginia State Police Divisions Map
Size42,774 square miles (110,780 km2)
Population8,470,020 (July 1, 2017 estimate[2])
Legal jurisdictionState of Virginia
General nature
Operational structure
HeadquartersNorth Chesterfield, Virginia
Troopers & Special Agents2,118 (as of 2018)[3]
Civilian employees848 civilian employees (as of 2018)[3]
Agency executives
  • Colonel Gary T. Settle, Superintendent
Parent agencyVirginia Secretary of Public Safety
Divisions7
Facilities
Airplanes4
Helicopters7
Website
http://www.vsp.virginia.gov/

The Virginia State Police, officially the Virginia Department of State Police, conceived in 1919 and established in 1932, is the state police force for the U.S. state of Virginia. The agency originated out of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles as an inspector and enforcer of highway laws. It is currently one of fourteen agencies within the Cabinet Secretariat of Public Safety. On January 18, 2018, Gary T. Settle was sworn in as Superintendent of the Virginia State Police. Colonel Settle replaced retiring Colonel W. Steven Flaherty, who had served since 2003.

  1. ^ NR-1, Department of State Police (January 18, 2018). NEW YEAR WELCOMES NEW LEADERSHIP WITHIN VIRGINIA STATE POLICE (Report). Richmond, VA: Commonwealth of Virginia. p. 1. Retrieved January 18, 2018.{{cite report}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Virginia". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved Jan 2, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "NR-1 NEW YEAR WELCOMES NEW LEADERSHIP WITHIN VIRGINIA STATE POLICE .pdf". Google Docs. Retrieved Jan 2, 2020.