On April 19, 1917, Gov. Albert Sleeper created the Michigan State Troops Permanent Force, also known as the Michigan State Constabulary. With Col. Roy C. Vandercook as the first commanding officer, this new force consisted of five troops of mounted, dismounted and motorized units.
On March 26, 1919, Public Act 26 reorganized the Constabulary as the permanent, peace-time Michigan State Police. When Michigan adopted a new Constitution in 1963, authorizing up to 20 departments, Public Act 380 of 1965 reorganized the MSP as one of these departments. The Director of the MSP holds the rank of Colonel and is appointed by the Governor.
Today, the MSP is a modern-day, full-service law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction consisting of nearly 2,500 enforcement and civilian members. For more information on the MSP, visit http://www.michigan.gov/msp
For historical photos, visit the Michigan State Police Facebook Page.
Michigan State Police history
April 19, 1917: The Michigan State Troops Permanent Force, also known as the Michigan State Constabulary, was founded. It initially was created as an emergency force to protect homeland security as the threat of World War I loomed.1917: The institution’s wooden headquarters was built on a 90-acre parcel of land leased from Michigan Agricultural College, now Michigan State University.
1924: The Michigan State Police began using motorcycles instead of calvary units as its main form of transportation. Marked patrol cars were not used until 1929.
1935: The School of Police Administration and Public Safety, now known as the MSU School of Criminal Justice, was founded. Administrators and representatives of the Michigan State Police wanted to provide students the opportunity to learn police tactics while still in college.
1970s: Portions of the East Lansing Michigan State Police Post began to be sourced to other areas to accommodate for the institution’s growth and to create space for new technology.
March 2012: The Michigan State Police Post in East Lansing was formally decommissioned by Michigan State Police officials. The land will be returned to the university by May 1, and the buildings currently on the property are slated to be demolished.
Source: Phillip Schertzing and the Michigan State Police
For more information, see Lauren Gibbons, “Michigan State Police History Month celebrates MSU roots”, State News, April 11, 2012.
For another see Justin A. Hinkley, “Happy birthday, State Police”, Lansing State Journal, April 23, 2015.
Kathleen Gray, “Michigan State Police celebrates 100th birthday“, Detroit Free Press, April 19, 2017.