Law enforcement is a complex business, and in a country the size of the U.S., it’s even more complicated. Its federalized administration results in a tapestry of independent jurisdictions — from local precincts to federal agencies.
But it is the state police that most often finds itself the common thread across judicial boundaries, ensuring criminals can’t take safe haven in the shadowy seams and folds of the system’s complexities.
Michigan epitomizes that challenge. About the same land area as the United Kingdom and split across two land masses by the Great Lakes, it is home to nearly 600 individual law enforcement agencies.
Stitching them together is the Michigan State Police (MSP), which is responsible for providing full-service law enforcement statewide, with divisions providing forensics, intelligence, and emergency management.
Continue reading this feature article in the Winter 2024 issue of Valor magazine.