SPRINGFIELD – On January 1, 2023, the Illinois State Police (ISP) moved from 21 patrol Districts across the state to 11 patrol Troops. Moving to Troops enables more officers to be available to respond to calls for service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. This modernized patrol structure will allow ISP to better meet the needs of the public while combating a shortage of law enforcement officers seen across the country.
“This modernization enables ISP officers to more efficiently engage in areas of greatest need, with high crash or crime rates, and drug trafficking,” said ISP Director Brendan F. Kelly. “This model also puts ISP patrol on equal footing with other state patrols based on crime, population, and crash data analysis, rather than outdated habits or practices.”
To celebrate the formation of new ISP Troops, ISP worked with the Secretary of State’s Office to design new Troop license plates for squad units. The new plate design is the first update to ISP license plates since 1968 and is a salute to ISP’s heritage, fallen officers, and the citizens ISP protects.
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias added that his office was honored to have played a role in the design and issuance of the license plate.
“We thank all of our State Police officers across Illinois for their service and sacrifice,” Secretary Giannoulias said. “This plate pays special tribute to officers who gave the ultimate sacrifice while in the line of duty. Our hearts remain with the families and loved ones of these officers who devoted their lives to protecting their communities. Their bravery and dedication will never be forgotten.”
The state of Illinois seal, which was used on squad cars from the 1930’s through the late 1960’s, is displayed on the new plate to honor the history of the men and women who served ISP. Saluting Troopers are represented on the plates to honor ISP officers who lost their lives in the line of duty. The landscape of Illinois represents ISP’s service across the entire state and the vow to protect the lives, rights, and property of Illinois citizens. The new license plates display the new Troop numbers and will roll out on ISP vehicles beginning March 1, 2023.
The reorganization creating Troops is the result of years of diligent work to find solutions to provide safety services to the public with reduced staffing levels. ISP conducted staffing studies using an independent consulting company and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Personnel Allocation Model, as well as engaged committees consisting of subject matter experts to assess staffing levels and make recommendations for patrol boundaries. ISP created a variety of patrol-led missions to address 21st century public safety needs, such as CRIMPAT (criminal patrol) operations, Motorcycle Enforcement Bureau operations, Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety details, Chicago Anti-Violence details, and the Statewide Violent Crime Suppression mission focused on key interstates.
The reorganization will also offer more officers the opportunity to serve in specialty positions. The Strategic Operations Command within the Division of Patrol will focus strictly on proactive enforcement. This will allow ISP to expand and deploy the Statewide Anti-Violence Enforcement (SAVE) unit and Highway Interdiction Team (HIT) to areas across the state to focus on violent crime and highway interdiction.