MS SC589

Mississippi Highway Patrol was established April 1, 1938, under Senate Bill No. 161 with 53 initial patrolmen and supervisory personnel led by Commissioner Thomas Butler Birdsong and Chief of Patrol Webb Burke.

The patrol evolved from 53 patrolmen trained at Camp Shelby to a modern Department of Public Safety with eight divisions including Highway Safety Patrol with nine enforcement troops, Motor Carrier Division, Bureau of Investigation, Driver Services Bureau, Bureau of Narcotics, Crime Laboratory, State Medical Examiner, and Office of Homeland Security.

The agency integrated its ranks following landmark litigation and became the first in Mississippi to hire African-American sworn officers; women also joined the patrol in the 1980s, and Louisa O. Dixon became the first female commissioner in 1988.

Thirty-two Mississippi Highway Patrol officers have died in the line of duty, honored by a 12-foot monument dedicated during the agency's 50th Anniversary Celebration in 1988.

The resolution honors the 75th Anniversary of the Mississippi Highway Patrol on April 5, 2013, and pays tribute to the agency's dedication to serving and protecting the public with an authorized strength of 650 troopers.