Department of Transportation Officers

[Jaguar57]

Our state's Department of Transportation has their own law enforcement division called Motor Vehicle Enforcement ( http://www.iamvd.com/omve/index.htm ).

Is this type of officer common to all state's department of transportation? What difference would this type of officer be from say state trooper?

When I have asked other officers I know (city, county and state levels) they said that if I was looking to get into law enforcement that was not the career path to take. I assume there are obvious job description differences between a DOT officer and a city officer that you might not get exposed to the same types of calls that might be a factor.

Just curious to know if there are any on here and would like to get your opinions about your job or who all has worked with them in their daily activities.

Thanks.

[JSandi]

In GA they are state officers with arrest powers state wide, but they focus on commercial vehicles during the course of their day. We would see them alot during traffic network operations and they are good at sniffing out DUI and dope, they get alot of experience dealing with truckers who will use stimulants to make that 18 hour run non-stop.

They get commercial DUI's a bit as well as suspended CDL's.

[PhilipCal]

Dept of Transportation Officers

In Alabama, Officers of the type you described, work for the Public Service Commission. Their primary focus is Commercial vehicles,or other vehicles that fall within the jurisdiction of the Public Service Condition. These are Peace Officers, with statewide jurisdiction, when working within the scope of their duties.

[kingsman]

As far as I know, the Michigan State Police have a similar division within the State Police.

[JPatrick]

I believe Indiana has a similar structure to Michigan, and you can find these officers are weigh stations. Whether or not it's the "right" career path to take depends on a lot of things. If jobs are tight and these are open, think about it.

[jnhdrac]

In NC they used to be fall under DMV but are now part of the Highway Patrol. The last I heard it is a seperate job from state trooper, although they now go through the same basic school as troopers. I have also heard they are paid less than troopers. I think the day will come when all the commercial vehicle officers have been through trooper school, their status (read pay) will increase. Right now, they appear to suffer from being viewed as a step down from the troopers. They are a handy group to know when dealing with commercial vehicle issues, and the transfer to the Highway Patrol has improved their status and general reputation alot. Having said that, I do not see the benefit of going to trooper school and not being a trooper.

[enviroguy]

New Jersey State Police has a unit that is dedicated to commercial traffic. Manning the fixed weigh stations and setting up portable checkpoints along main roads.

[Jaguar57]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I do appreciate it.

[Presence]

I never thought about this much until you brought it up... We have them driving around in my town here in Florida as well... It has DOT really large on the side of hte car, and they have lights, etc like other LE cars...

Although I don't know what their guidelines or duties are...sorry that's not much of a help, is it?

[Jaguar57]

In NC they used to be fall under DMV but are now part of the Highway Patrol. The last I heard it is a seperate job from state trooper, although they now go through the same basic school as troopers. I have also heard they are paid less than troopers. I think the day will come when all the commercial vehicle officers have been through trooper school, their status (read pay) will increase. Right now, they appear to suffer from being viewed as a step down from the troopers. They are a handy group to know when dealing with commercial vehicle issues, and the transfer to the Highway Patrol has improved their status and general reputation alot. Having said that, I do not see the benefit of going to trooper school and not being a trooper.

I think that is the viewpoint of these officers in my state as well. Almost in the way that our campus police force is not considered "real" police by a lot of students just because they dont carry a gun with them...

Do you see/treat/feel these officers with the same "brotherhood" mentality that exists between city/county/state departments?

[Jamie41]

Florida DOT

Florida DOT Officers are State Law Enforcement Officers who are academy trained, armed and possess powers of arrest as described in agency policy below. They also enforce federal motor carrier regulations. There are also civilian weight inspectors at weigh stations. Their emphasis is on CMV's but FDOT officers can and will stop non commercial drivers when infractions are observed.

Policy 6-4 Arrests Page 2 of 4
Revision Date: 05/01/2005
V. Procedures:
A. Jurisdiction and Authority: MCCO sworn members are duly sworn state law enforcement officers appointed pursuant to F.S. Chapter 334 and certified under F.S. 943 by the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission (CJSTC). Sworn members appointed under this section have statewide authority to enforce the criminal and traffic laws of this state.

[jnhdrac]

I think within law enforcement they are respected as officers with very specialized knowledge, and as I said, handy to know particularly when dealing with commercial carriers. They have alot of authority when dealing with commercial carriers. My understanding is they have not been well treated in terms of pay, and my observation is the public knows little about who they are and what they do. Most people do not realize they have the same authority as any other police. It is probably very much like the issues campus or other specialized police officers have.