Georgia Department of Public Safety


The Georgia Department of Public Safety is a state body that is responsible for statewide law enforcement and public safety within the U.S. state of Georgia. The current Commissioner of the department is Mark W. McDonough, who is also Colonel of the Georgia State Patrol.

Divisions

On February 28, 1974, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was made an independent agency separate from the Georgia Department of Public Safety.

Georgia State Patrol

The Georgia State Patrol is the highway patrol agency for the U.S. state of Georgia, which has jurisdiction anywhere in the state. GSP Troopers primarily operate on the long stretches of Interstate highway as well as providing SWAT team response to rural areas of the state.
A Lieutenant Colonel serves as Commanding Officer over Field Operations; The current Lieutenant Colonel is Jason Johnson.

Georgia Capitol Police

Georgia Capitol Police is one of the divisions of the Georgia Department of Public Safety responsible for law enforcement of the Capitol Hill area of Atlanta, Georgia. A Captain serves as Director of Georgia Capitol Police; The current Captain is Lewis Young.
The Division is split into two units:
The Motor Carrier Compliance Division is responsible for the enforcement of the laws and rules of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. This division conducts safety inspections of commercial motor vehicles especially buses and trucks, inspects highway shipments of hazardous materials, and performs compliance reviews on motor carriers. It also enforces laws and regulations that govern vehicle size and weight. It operates the 19 weigh stations in the state of Georgia and also performs roadside inspections on Commercial Motor Vehicles. Lastly the MCCD also enforces the High Occupancy Vehicle lanes through the city of Atlanta.