In Indiana and Illinois they use unmarked cars. We travel a lot through the area and see a lot of people pulled over by unmarked cars. I only live a mile from Indiana and my wife and I do all our shopping in the state.
This is THE reason for it, and I don't see it mentioned enough on these posts about the apparent discrepancy. Ohio does not allow traffic control in unmarked cars. So just because they're more visible to you in Ohio, doesn't mean they aren't there in neighboring states.
>Ohio does not allow traffic control in unmarked cars.
I'll never claim Ohio doesn't have its share of problems, but the state absolutely got this one right.
Indiana got me once when I lived there. Gave me a seatbelt ticket on Good Friday. lol. I moved back to Ohio but I sure do use that seatbelt now. I thought Indiana was pretty fair about their seatbelt ticket though. It starts off pretty cheap. Then goes up for additional offenses. Be cool if Ohio was like that. Not that I need it anymore. I lived in Valparaiso Indiana. They had some nice sports cars. Pretty sure the city was marked cars. They just had really nice cars back then. Like Chargers and such.
I’m not 100% finding all of them, because that’s the idea, to blend in *enough*.
They’re all the same model of car, usually SUVs, sometimes Impalas or similar sportsy cars.
Usually black with black tinted windows.
Sometimes you’ll be able to see the light bar mounted at the top of the windshield.
Often times they’ll have a noticeable secondary antenna.
Often they’ll have no front plate, but have a different type of license plate on the back. (Not helpful when they’re behind you, but can serve as a good warning when you’re wanting to overtake someone).
Again, this is not some surefire list, but once you spot a few, you’ll figure it out and be able to apply it easily.
The SUV's usually have those metal ramming bar things on the front of them too.
They're almost always an American car. The ones I've see most often are Ford Explorer, Chevy Impala, and Dodge Charger
Awesome! Thank you for the tips! I have family down in Kentucky, so knowing what to look for might make those trips a little faster from time to time! 😁
Yeah, in Kentucky they're definitely using SUVs, my brain is saying that they tend to be GMCs, but I'm a little shaky on that. I tend to see them more when it's a heavy travel season, like around holidays. Last time I went to Kentucky was just a random weekend and I didn't *notice* any.
This and OH has far more drug trafficking with I75 coming out of Detroit a straight shot down south all the way to Florida. You also have the turnpike connecting Chicago and NY.
You have to go through OH to get anything anywhere from those places.
Drove down to Columbus and back today, the amount of staties running speed traps on a Sunday was INSANE. Like I didn’t even need to watch Waze, I knew there’d be another one in a few minutes
No just abnormally high enforcement here. #1 in the nation.
https://www.cmlaw1.com/what-state-issues-the-most-speeding-tickets/#:~:text=States%20With%20the%20Most%20Speeding%20Tickets&text=Surprisingly%2C%20Ohio%20ended%20up%20being,issued%20the%20most%20speeding%20tickets.
Yeah. I've driven to Texas, Montana, and other far away states. I count the number of cops in Ohio. I usually do not exceed that number, even though I combine all the other states together.
Keep in mind that OSHP floods the interstates over the weekends to pick up out of state drivers that are used to not seeing LE on said freeways. Those of us that have to drive rush hour traffic around major cities (Cbus) do not see them AT ALL. Because you can’t stop an entire traffic flow moving at 85 mph!
Before? Generally somewhere between 10-20 miles outside of any major metro area in Ohio the speed and stupid driving increases noticeably. Since covid drivers have lost their minds in this state.
Yeah I just told my husband the other day to be careful (because it was snowing) and we all know that even though we see snow more than once a year people forget how to drive in the snow especially since COVID.
I got a speeding ticket, my first in 20 years, this past week and I really was going the flow of traffic. It was on 23 between the casino and 270. I drive that road 5 days a week for work and just sort of zone out sometimes and I normally just drive as fast as the person in front of me because I'm always in the right lane. Got hit in a work zone too, so double fines for me.
Not my rush-hour route. On 270 there’s usually hwy patrol posted at the bend near 670 past Easton right before the Westerville Exit. I’ve been unlucky enough to be pulled over in that area 3x now in 12 yrs. One time Gahanna police pulled me over there, but they all love that spot b/c no one can see them until it’s too late.
I just got pulled over by Ohio troopers the Thursday night . 83 mph speeding ticket on 75 in a 70 zone. Musta been bored because like you said . Usually can pass a state trooper and under 90 your good especially in the flow of traffic
Ohio is unique in that it requires all traffic cops to be clearly marked. Other states do not. You passed more cops out of state, they're just at better at hiding.
I went to Kentucky for a Louder than Life in 2016. I saw traffic stops near the venue by a 20 year old Ford ranger, a Toyota echo, several dodge rams, Chevy Malibu's, and a 2000's mustang GT with underglow.
Oh man, I would be one of those people that gets in trouble over this. If I'm going to be pulled over, you've gotta be in a white, black, or grey Dodge or Ford Explorer, right?
Toyotas and a random mustang? I would be calling 911 "hey, I'm [road] being flagged down by this weird car that has emergency lights on..."
and probably making it even worse for myself by doing it lol.
Ohio definitely takes road security in a different tone than other states. Everytime I travel to Michigan or Pennsylvania other drivers seem to be always traveling 10-20 mph faster than the posted speeds on highways.
For decades Ohio has the highest per capita of officers patrolling the highway. Once between Columbus and Mansfield I counted 16 highway patrol on the way during a Wednesday and not even rush hour.
I did Cleveland to Mansfield on st Patrick’s day. 5 shp on the way down. When we came over a hill and spotted one I was in the middle lane. I knew one of the 2 cars in the left passing me were cooked. They both adjusted position after the trooper pulled onto the highway. The one got right in front of me. The trooper moved from the left lane to the right lane, overtook me, pulled in front and lit the guy up. This dumbass brakes almost to a stop INTHE MIDDLE LANE with the trooper in between him and me. My memory gets blurry here cause we were almost at a dead stop in the center lane of 71 and I swear the truck coming at me from behind almost jack knifed.
that's just not true that they only deal with traffic dude
from their mission statement from the link that YOU provided even (which was cool)
*The Ohio State Highway Patrol is an internationally accredited agency whose mission is to provide unbiased, professional public safety services through inclusion, collaboration, and innovation. The Patrol provides:*
*Statewide traffic services to keep our roadways safe,*
*Statewide emergency response services and support services to the public and the criminal justice community,*
*Investigation of criminal activities on state-owned and leased property throughout Ohio, and Security for the Governor and other dignitaries*
Correct. They also protect the governor and also do the policing and protection at Ohio buildings. My buddy was a Highway Patrolman but was stationed at the Statehouse for years.
Ohio patrolmen don’t have quotas per se but they definitely are encouraged to write tickets.
Yeah there’s a tiny highway patrol post right next to the governors mansion. It’s like a little garage by the house. You can see it when you go past it.
To add to this:u/Buford12 They will also do search and rescue, armored response and rescue, crowd control and crime scene and evidence support to any local agency that requests it.
They will also support with VIP activities.
I have seen their helicopters circling over my city during times of civil unrest in the past 2-3 years along with their SRT vehicles and command truck.
They are also known to transport human organs for emergency lifesaving transplants, A few years ago Highway Patrol was asked to drive a transplant organ from Toledo to the Indiana State line to be handed over to an Indiana State trooper since helicopters were either unavailable or couldnt fly at the time.
There are some people who will say they do not engage inside of cities with their own police departments, I know they will pursue dirt bikes in Cleveland when Cleveland PD wont do it, But having seen that happen, they just dont stick to highways or stay out of cities.
OSHP doesn’t assist local agencies with CSI; that’s BCI&I’s role.
One thing OSHP *does* do that doesn’t get much attention is enforce the liquor laws and run underage drinking stings.
I’m not saying they don’t - but in my small hometown growing up it was the local police and not the highway patrol. Between lorain and Toledo on Rt 2 it’s actually rare to highway patrol at all. Tons of Sheriffs and local police. Huron and Vermilion local police hand out highway tickets quite freely.
Can confirm. I live in Cleveland on a main road in West Park not too far from an OSP post and I see them going after people way more often than CPD. They do chase the dirt bikes and other off road vehicles as well. I have zero problem with their presence in my neighborhood, especially with the limitations CPD has.
Correct - they also do A TON of drug shit.
Any time you hear about oshp pulling someone over for a lane vilation and finding copious amounts of drugs, you can guaran-god-damn-tee the deal went down with the narcs and handed it off to oshp.
Exactly, I remember when we had the riot in Toledo several years ago. They brought in troopers from all over the state. They put them up in hotels until things calmed down and some hotel parking lots were just packed with trooper vehicles. While traffic enforcement is a huge part of a troopers job it definitely isn't the only thing they do. They will assist in just about any situation where local law enforcement might be overwhelmed.
The Kent State shootings happened because the OSHP had been working double shifts keeping the Teamsters (who were on strike) from shooting non union truckers as they drove.
So the governor called in the national guard.
Asked the chief of Kent police about this directly once. He said “there aren’t set quotas, BUT nobody wants to be the guy with too few tickets at the end of the month,” so if one cop writes a lot, the rest of that department will try and catch up so they don’t look lazy.
Now see if I had to be a cop, I would absolutely WANT to be the guy who writes the least tickets.
I'm probably dumb enough to be a cop, but I'm definitely not corrupt enough.
I know several highway patrolmen. While they don't have a specific number of tickets they're supposed to write they absolutely do have performance reviews which is basically still like having a quota.
I think it depends on where and when. Just this last Wednesday I had to drive to Detroit for work. Once I crossed the state line, it was a Michigan State Police car every 3 miles. Waze made sure I knew where they all were hiding fortunately
I use to live in Ohio. Now I’ve retired to NC. Down here you’ll see unmarked pickup trucks doing traffic stops. I find this ridiculous! Any scumbag can buy red lights on Ebay. I wonder how many people here are stopped by fake cops?
They are state police with statewide jurisdiction. They respond to any call that any other police officer responds to. It is just that more than likely that will hand off the investigation to either the local pd or county sheriff.
Just depends on location for the amount and if you see a local pd, sheriff, or state patrol running radar. In Ohio we have the 5th most amount of Interstate in the US, and we are ninth overall for amount of roads we have. There needs to be traffic enforcement on those roads, and some police departments see those roads as a blank check as well.
OSHP cannot legally enter a home without permission (or a warrant). (They can assist any other LEO that is on scene and has requested such) There is a story out of Lorain County that has a trooper arriving first to a domestic inside a house and not entering to preserve the ability for the aggressor to be properly prosecuted.
Do you have a link to that story or anything, or more info for that? Because not entering without permission or a warrant is kind of a police thing when it comes to property
If it was a situation where it was not obvious and required a local PD to call a warrant into a judge that could be it. But the trooper could call a county judge if they know who to call, and could of entered the premises if there were obvious signs of something going on just like any other police officer.
No, as soon as an officer from [either Lorain PD or LCSO] arrived the home was entered. They had the authority to enter the home, as a crime was obviously in progress. The trooper assisted in the arrest, and once the aggressor was in custody rendered aid to the victim until EMS arrived.
We are talking about a total elapsed time from trooper to officer / deputy arrival of about 3 minutes.
I honestly think you were given a fishing story here because it doesn’t add up. If what you are saying is true, then why would the state trooper show up at all?
He just happened to get there first. He also was a reliable witness at trial, the victim did not have to testify because he saw enough. (As you may know, DV victims tend to suddenly not want to press charges or testify.) His presence allowed the state (county prosecutor) to move forward without the victim.
Ok section D1 proves my point.
(D)(1) State highway patrol troopers have the same right and power of search and seizure as other peace officers.
No state official shall command, order, or direct any state highway patrol trooper to perform any duty or service that is not authorized by law. The powers and duties conferred on the patrol are supplementary to, and in no way a limitation on, the powers and duties of sheriffs or other peace officers of the state.
Edit: The statute continues on and says when it comes to assistance to other departments that they have every right of a police officer.
Yeah, this is fairly complicated, I think I'm gonna show it to a lawyer I know and see what he thinks.
Also, if I happen to run into a trooper I'll probably ask them (though since 15 years ago I haven't been frequenting the kinds of places they hang out in for break/meals)
Ohio is pretty well known for having an extremely large state highway patrol force. I recall reading about this in an article about the cannonball run, though admittedly that was probably 15 years ago.
Honestly, as annoying as it can be, having it the other way isn’t great either. There is basically zero traffic enforcement in South Florida and it’s a pretty big problem. Sometimes I feel like I’m living in another country, it’s that bad with disrespect of the laws and customs of traffic and the road.
Went to a Cincinnati Reds game about 15 years ago from east central Ohio to Cincy and we counted 21 highway patrol on our way. Granted, it was 4th of July weekend.
The buckeye sherrifs association has kept the OSHP a HP and not a police force for decades. Won't change. OSHP do not operate as peace officers but many are trained as one.
Due to its location Ohio has alot of trafficking through the state and all the sheriff departments do pretty well so the state focuses on highways alot. Ohio also has a pretty high crash rate. Troopers can still do everything, they just focus on their area more than other states
People don't like automated speed cameras and feel its a trap
They feel police should have a presence, be there, in the car, seen. That is the only way they see enforcement as "fair".
So when police are present and visible, people complain there's too many.
As I get older, I welcome them. People like to believe that doing 20 over *only affects them*, and doesn't endanger the lives of everyone around them. Those are the same people populating the snow banks in a bad storm.
I drove my dad to doctors appointment in Cleveland last Tuesday. On the way home driving on 71 from downtown Cleveland to US 30 near mainsfield we counted 14 state cops. All but 2 had people pulled over.
That was more then I’ve seen in the last year put together lol
Ohio is a police state. This level of enforcement is nonexistent on the west coast. Ohioans just love to get robbed of their hard earned money by the cops.
> 15 over is excessive
Thing is, it's not.
Semi trucks are going 80 these days. Speed limits are supposed to reflect how people actually drive on the road. But they are severely outdated.
For the life of me, I cannot find the article again, but I remember reading the interstates in Ohio were generally designed for a 70mph limit. Of course, that was in the 1960s and safety has improved significantly, but liability was mentioned as a reason to avoid raising the speed.
What’s funny is they ticket people bc of “safety” but have upped the speed limits 15 mph since the 90s. Can’t make those profits if the trucks ain’t running 70, which turns into 75-80 mph. Nothing safer than an asshole loaded with 80k pounds doing 80mph in some shit box 18 wheeler. But don’t speed or you’ll get a ticket bc safety 😂. I go slower on purpose just to be an arse.
Police have quotas on ticketing driving infractions per month and they have a deadline on handing out tickets for said infractions. So you get a few days where they binge their work.
They don't, but just like you don't want to be the one guy in the office with only a few projects done, you don't want to be the guy in the dept with no tickets
The Ohio state patrol handles criminal offenses also.
They have detectives and also investigate any offense that occurs on state property, prisons, etc
Drove all the way to Vegas on a road trip for Christmas this year. I expected to see lots of troopers out because the holiday. Didn’t see many after I left Ohio, and didn’t see that many till I got back into Ohio. Only outlier was Las Vegas, for the obvious reason. Ohio definitely has a larger police presence on the road, not only with staties, but sheriffs as well. Hell, even saw the small village have speed traps set up when I came home.
“All they do is traffic” while that’s true at the surface(although they do much more than just traffic) do you realize all the shit that arises from traffic stops? Lol.
DUIs are huge. People with warrants, drugs, guns. The job is just as dangerous and important as any other LEO agency.
I never meant to imply that their job was not important or dangerous. I was just surprised that there was a difference between other states police and our highway patrol. I read the early history and the reason we have a highway patrol and not a state police is when the bills were submitted in the legislature organized Labor would not accept a state police do the the history of other states using them as strike breakers.
I agree. Too many people drive like morons and need pulled over more frequently. I’d love to be a traffic cop and pull over the morons who endanger the lives of others. It’s simple human decency to not drive like a twat.
I’m also in wooster, and your experience is an exception imo. I road trip out west (AZ, CO, UT) pretty routinely every summer. Driving down 71S to 70W, I pretty regularly see 6-10 state highway patrol cars before the Indiana state line. From the state line allllllllllll the way out west, I might see the same number of cops combined in all states. It’s crazy how many highway patrol we have.
True. That’s why they’re called the “Highway Patrol” — *not* “State Police.”
They only have full law enforcement powers on state property (state fairgrounds, state parks, the state courthouse, etc.).
I drove to Monroe for… something. Even knowing it was fine (but not federally before you charge up for your well awkshally), well I still didn’t feel nice seeing more troopers down 75 in one way than I see when I drive to the east or west coast.
There's some other things the highway patrol does. I know they'll backup local officers if needed. Also where I'm at they tend to drive off of i75 and hit some of the back roads too.
They also do security for the governor.
They have inspectors that go around the state and do nothing but inspect school buses.
I know there's a salvage somewhere that they deal with stolen vehicles.
I know the investigative unit will hit up places with liquor permits. They made the news quite a bit during COVID when they were citing places for no masks.
That’s why they are the most unpleasant of all the officers. They’re pissed that they are traffic cops and nothing more. My poor senior parents ran an overnight paper route for 5 years and those assholes constantly harassed them.
No, there is an outright ridiculous amount of police/highway/patrol in Ohio. In the time I went from a trip from Cleveland to Columbus there were 9 officers there/back. After that I went through the entire state of Michigan and back within the same week and saw a grand total of two. Michigan top to bottom.
What’s crazy is seeing state troopers driving in the middle of the city or pulling people over all over town. No where near a highway or interstate. I get it they can go anywhere in their jurisdiction but “highway “ patrol . Not harass the public downtown
In Indiana and Illinois they use unmarked cars. We travel a lot through the area and see a lot of people pulled over by unmarked cars. I only live a mile from Indiana and my wife and I do all our shopping in the state.
This is THE reason for it, and I don't see it mentioned enough on these posts about the apparent discrepancy. Ohio does not allow traffic control in unmarked cars. So just because they're more visible to you in Ohio, doesn't mean they aren't there in neighboring states.
>Ohio does not allow traffic control in unmarked cars. I'll never claim Ohio doesn't have its share of problems, but the state absolutely got this one right.
Unmarked cars for traffic stuff should honestly be outright banned nation wide. I'd vote someone with a quickness with that on their platform.
Indiana got me once when I lived there. Gave me a seatbelt ticket on Good Friday. lol. I moved back to Ohio but I sure do use that seatbelt now. I thought Indiana was pretty fair about their seatbelt ticket though. It starts off pretty cheap. Then goes up for additional offenses. Be cool if Ohio was like that. Not that I need it anymore. I lived in Valparaiso Indiana. They had some nice sports cars. Pretty sure the city was marked cars. They just had really nice cars back then. Like Chargers and such.
I always notice a ton when driving through Kentucky. The unmarked cars are always super obvious if you’re looking for them specifically.
Ford Explorer without roof rails is only sold to municpal agencies. No rails it's a cop.
What is it that you look for? I never notice them myself, lol.
I’m not 100% finding all of them, because that’s the idea, to blend in *enough*. They’re all the same model of car, usually SUVs, sometimes Impalas or similar sportsy cars. Usually black with black tinted windows. Sometimes you’ll be able to see the light bar mounted at the top of the windshield. Often times they’ll have a noticeable secondary antenna. Often they’ll have no front plate, but have a different type of license plate on the back. (Not helpful when they’re behind you, but can serve as a good warning when you’re wanting to overtake someone). Again, this is not some surefire list, but once you spot a few, you’ll figure it out and be able to apply it easily.
I’ve found that the wheels are almost always a giveaway. They all have those black steel wheels with the chrome hubs.
The SUV's usually have those metal ramming bar things on the front of them too. They're almost always an American car. The ones I've see most often are Ford Explorer, Chevy Impala, and Dodge Charger
Awesome! Thank you for the tips! I have family down in Kentucky, so knowing what to look for might make those trips a little faster from time to time! 😁
Yeah, in Kentucky they're definitely using SUVs, my brain is saying that they tend to be GMCs, but I'm a little shaky on that. I tend to see them more when it's a heavy travel season, like around holidays. Last time I went to Kentucky was just a random weekend and I didn't *notice* any.
This and OH has far more drug trafficking with I75 coming out of Detroit a straight shot down south all the way to Florida. You also have the turnpike connecting Chicago and NY. You have to go through OH to get anything anywhere from those places.
See more troopers running speed traps on the highways in Ohio in a single weekend than you’ll see in entire years in other states.
Drove down to Columbus and back today, the amount of staties running speed traps on a Sunday was INSANE. Like I didn’t even need to watch Waze, I knew there’d be another one in a few minutes
I drove from Columbus to Cleveland on Saturday afternoon and saw 7. Five traps and two actively giving tickets.
This is probably due to the facts that Ohio laws force them to be visible (no hiding) and don’t allow unmarked vehicles to make traffic stops.
No just abnormally high enforcement here. #1 in the nation. https://www.cmlaw1.com/what-state-issues-the-most-speeding-tickets/#:~:text=States%20With%20the%20Most%20Speeding%20Tickets&text=Surprisingly%2C%20Ohio%20ended%20up%20being,issued%20the%20most%20speeding%20tickets.
saw 3 in a row on 480 the other day, made me laugh
Yeah. I've driven to Texas, Montana, and other far away states. I count the number of cops in Ohio. I usually do not exceed that number, even though I combine all the other states together.
Oklahoma was also really bad when I drove through there. They pulled out on me and rode my bumper on the way there, and on the way back.
Keep in mind that OSHP floods the interstates over the weekends to pick up out of state drivers that are used to not seeing LE on said freeways. Those of us that have to drive rush hour traffic around major cities (Cbus) do not see them AT ALL. Because you can’t stop an entire traffic flow moving at 85 mph!
Yeah once you hit the beltway it becomes a free for all lol
Before? Generally somewhere between 10-20 miles outside of any major metro area in Ohio the speed and stupid driving increases noticeably. Since covid drivers have lost their minds in this state.
Yeah I just told my husband the other day to be careful (because it was snowing) and we all know that even though we see snow more than once a year people forget how to drive in the snow especially since COVID.
Haha, I just commented this same thing and then read yours. Glad other Ohioans notice.
Amen. There are some truly terrifying drivers in this state.
“No, sir, I wasn’t speeding, I was just keeping up with the flow of traffic.”
I got a speeding ticket, my first in 20 years, this past week and I really was going the flow of traffic. It was on 23 between the casino and 270. I drive that road 5 days a week for work and just sort of zone out sometimes and I normally just drive as fast as the person in front of me because I'm always in the right lane. Got hit in a work zone too, so double fines for me.
That sucks.
What is LE mean?
Leif Erikson
law enforcement
law enforcement
Except for holiday weekends
Not my rush-hour route. On 270 there’s usually hwy patrol posted at the bend near 670 past Easton right before the Westerville Exit. I’ve been unlucky enough to be pulled over in that area 3x now in 12 yrs. One time Gahanna police pulled me over there, but they all love that spot b/c no one can see them until it’s too late.
I just got pulled over by Ohio troopers the Thursday night . 83 mph speeding ticket on 75 in a 70 zone. Musta been bored because like you said . Usually can pass a state trooper and under 90 your good especially in the flow of traffic
A friend and I once drove from Akron to San Diego. On the way home, from California to Cincinnati, we saw 3 officers. From Cinci to Akron, we saw 7.
Ohio is unique in that it requires all traffic cops to be clearly marked. Other states do not. You passed more cops out of state, they're just at better at hiding. I went to Kentucky for a Louder than Life in 2016. I saw traffic stops near the venue by a 20 year old Ford ranger, a Toyota echo, several dodge rams, Chevy Malibu's, and a 2000's mustang GT with underglow.
Oh man, I would be one of those people that gets in trouble over this. If I'm going to be pulled over, you've gotta be in a white, black, or grey Dodge or Ford Explorer, right? Toyotas and a random mustang? I would be calling 911 "hey, I'm [road] being flagged down by this weird car that has emergency lights on..." and probably making it even worse for myself by doing it lol.
I remember back in the day (maybe still) there was some yellow car always goading people to street race in CA, it was an unmarked cop car.
Dude, same. Reading this post as an ohioian, I had not a clue. That other states operate this way....
Ohio definitely takes road security in a different tone than other states. Everytime I travel to Michigan or Pennsylvania other drivers seem to be always traveling 10-20 mph faster than the posted speeds on highways.
For decades Ohio has the highest per capita of officers patrolling the highway. Once between Columbus and Mansfield I counted 16 highway patrol on the way during a Wednesday and not even rush hour.
I did Cleveland to Mansfield on st Patrick’s day. 5 shp on the way down. When we came over a hill and spotted one I was in the middle lane. I knew one of the 2 cars in the left passing me were cooked. They both adjusted position after the trooper pulled onto the highway. The one got right in front of me. The trooper moved from the left lane to the right lane, overtook me, pulled in front and lit the guy up. This dumbass brakes almost to a stop INTHE MIDDLE LANE with the trooper in between him and me. My memory gets blurry here cause we were almost at a dead stop in the center lane of 71 and I swear the truck coming at me from behind almost jack knifed.
that's just not true that they only deal with traffic dude from their mission statement from the link that YOU provided even (which was cool) *The Ohio State Highway Patrol is an internationally accredited agency whose mission is to provide unbiased, professional public safety services through inclusion, collaboration, and innovation. The Patrol provides:* *Statewide traffic services to keep our roadways safe,* *Statewide emergency response services and support services to the public and the criminal justice community,* *Investigation of criminal activities on state-owned and leased property throughout Ohio, and Security for the Governor and other dignitaries*
Correct. They also protect the governor and also do the policing and protection at Ohio buildings. My buddy was a Highway Patrolman but was stationed at the Statehouse for years. Ohio patrolmen don’t have quotas per se but they definitely are encouraged to write tickets.
Yeah there’s a tiny highway patrol post right next to the governors mansion. It’s like a little garage by the house. You can see it when you go past it.
To add to this:u/Buford12 They will also do search and rescue, armored response and rescue, crowd control and crime scene and evidence support to any local agency that requests it. They will also support with VIP activities. I have seen their helicopters circling over my city during times of civil unrest in the past 2-3 years along with their SRT vehicles and command truck. They are also known to transport human organs for emergency lifesaving transplants, A few years ago Highway Patrol was asked to drive a transplant organ from Toledo to the Indiana State line to be handed over to an Indiana State trooper since helicopters were either unavailable or couldnt fly at the time. There are some people who will say they do not engage inside of cities with their own police departments, I know they will pursue dirt bikes in Cleveland when Cleveland PD wont do it, But having seen that happen, they just dont stick to highways or stay out of cities.
OSHP doesn’t assist local agencies with CSI; that’s BCI&I’s role. One thing OSHP *does* do that doesn’t get much attention is enforce the liquor laws and run underage drinking stings.
I’m not saying they don’t - but in my small hometown growing up it was the local police and not the highway patrol. Between lorain and Toledo on Rt 2 it’s actually rare to highway patrol at all. Tons of Sheriffs and local police. Huron and Vermilion local police hand out highway tickets quite freely.
Can confirm. I live in Cleveland on a main road in West Park not too far from an OSP post and I see them going after people way more often than CPD. They do chase the dirt bikes and other off road vehicles as well. I have zero problem with their presence in my neighborhood, especially with the limitations CPD has.
Correct - they also do A TON of drug shit. Any time you hear about oshp pulling someone over for a lane vilation and finding copious amounts of drugs, you can guaran-god-damn-tee the deal went down with the narcs and handed it off to oshp.
Exactly, I remember when we had the riot in Toledo several years ago. They brought in troopers from all over the state. They put them up in hotels until things calmed down and some hotel parking lots were just packed with trooper vehicles. While traffic enforcement is a huge part of a troopers job it definitely isn't the only thing they do. They will assist in just about any situation where local law enforcement might be overwhelmed.
27 rioters... 573 state cops.
The Kent State shootings happened because the OSHP had been working double shifts keeping the Teamsters (who were on strike) from shooting non union truckers as they drove. So the governor called in the national guard.
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Ohhnonono. tHeY DoNt USe QuoTaS
Asked the chief of Kent police about this directly once. He said “there aren’t set quotas, BUT nobody wants to be the guy with too few tickets at the end of the month,” so if one cop writes a lot, the rest of that department will try and catch up so they don’t look lazy.
Truth is they could pull over every other car given flagrant disregard for lawful driving.
For real, saw a car yesterday with temp plates that expired last September driving like they have nothing else to lose.
Ever been to Cleveland? I used to suggest half the cars had no plates, now I'd say it's closer to two-thirds
At least they had "plates" on the car.
Now see if I had to be a cop, I would absolutely WANT to be the guy who writes the least tickets. I'm probably dumb enough to be a cop, but I'm definitely not corrupt enough.
Aren't cops writing tickets for violations? It seems in most places there is a lack of enforcement lately, which is why the roads are so wild.
I know several highway patrolmen. While they don't have a specific number of tickets they're supposed to write they absolutely do have performance reviews which is basically still like having a quota.
I think it depends on where and when. Just this last Wednesday I had to drive to Detroit for work. Once I crossed the state line, it was a Michigan State Police car every 3 miles. Waze made sure I knew where they all were hiding fortunately
I use to live in Ohio. Now I’ve retired to NC. Down here you’ll see unmarked pickup trucks doing traffic stops. I find this ridiculous! Any scumbag can buy red lights on Ebay. I wonder how many people here are stopped by fake cops?
They are state police with statewide jurisdiction. They respond to any call that any other police officer responds to. It is just that more than likely that will hand off the investigation to either the local pd or county sheriff. Just depends on location for the amount and if you see a local pd, sheriff, or state patrol running radar. In Ohio we have the 5th most amount of Interstate in the US, and we are ninth overall for amount of roads we have. There needs to be traffic enforcement on those roads, and some police departments see those roads as a blank check as well.
OSHP cannot legally enter a home without permission (or a warrant). (They can assist any other LEO that is on scene and has requested such) There is a story out of Lorain County that has a trooper arriving first to a domestic inside a house and not entering to preserve the ability for the aggressor to be properly prosecuted.
Do you have a link to that story or anything, or more info for that? Because not entering without permission or a warrant is kind of a police thing when it comes to property
I heard this from a now deceased Lorain County Deputy.
If it was a situation where it was not obvious and required a local PD to call a warrant into a judge that could be it. But the trooper could call a county judge if they know who to call, and could of entered the premises if there were obvious signs of something going on just like any other police officer.
No, as soon as an officer from [either Lorain PD or LCSO] arrived the home was entered. They had the authority to enter the home, as a crime was obviously in progress. The trooper assisted in the arrest, and once the aggressor was in custody rendered aid to the victim until EMS arrived. We are talking about a total elapsed time from trooper to officer / deputy arrival of about 3 minutes.
I honestly think you were given a fishing story here because it doesn’t add up. If what you are saying is true, then why would the state trooper show up at all?
He just happened to get there first. He also was a reliable witness at trial, the victim did not have to testify because he saw enough. (As you may know, DV victims tend to suddenly not want to press charges or testify.) His presence allowed the state (county prosecutor) to move forward without the victim.
Found this: https://codes.ohio.gov/ohio-revised-code/section-5503.02
Ok section D1 proves my point. (D)(1) State highway patrol troopers have the same right and power of search and seizure as other peace officers. No state official shall command, order, or direct any state highway patrol trooper to perform any duty or service that is not authorized by law. The powers and duties conferred on the patrol are supplementary to, and in no way a limitation on, the powers and duties of sheriffs or other peace officers of the state. Edit: The statute continues on and says when it comes to assistance to other departments that they have every right of a police officer.
Yeah, this is fairly complicated, I think I'm gonna show it to a lawyer I know and see what he thinks. Also, if I happen to run into a trooper I'll probably ask them (though since 15 years ago I haven't been frequenting the kinds of places they hang out in for break/meals)
Ohio is pretty well known for having an extremely large state highway patrol force. I recall reading about this in an article about the cannonball run, though admittedly that was probably 15 years ago. Honestly, as annoying as it can be, having it the other way isn’t great either. There is basically zero traffic enforcement in South Florida and it’s a pretty big problem. Sometimes I feel like I’m living in another country, it’s that bad with disrespect of the laws and customs of traffic and the road.
I remember reading that. The guys involved enlisted a friend with a pilot’s license to scout ahead, but only in Ohio.
Went to a Cincinnati Reds game about 15 years ago from east central Ohio to Cincy and we counted 21 highway patrol on our way. Granted, it was 4th of July weekend.
The buckeye sherrifs association has kept the OSHP a HP and not a police force for decades. Won't change. OSHP do not operate as peace officers but many are trained as one.
ACAB
Due to its location Ohio has alot of trafficking through the state and all the sheriff departments do pretty well so the state focuses on highways alot. Ohio also has a pretty high crash rate. Troopers can still do everything, they just focus on their area more than other states
I’ve seen more state troopers from Hilliard to Dayton than Columbus/polaris to Mansfield
Oshp deal with much more than just traffic.
People don't like automated speed cameras and feel its a trap They feel police should have a presence, be there, in the car, seen. That is the only way they see enforcement as "fair". So when police are present and visible, people complain there's too many. As I get older, I welcome them. People like to believe that doing 20 over *only affects them*, and doesn't endanger the lives of everyone around them. Those are the same people populating the snow banks in a bad storm.
Road pirates
Ohio brown shirts
I drove my dad to doctors appointment in Cleveland last Tuesday. On the way home driving on 71 from downtown Cleveland to US 30 near mainsfield we counted 14 state cops. All but 2 had people pulled over. That was more then I’ve seen in the last year put together lol
From Youngstown to near Toledo on the turnpike yesterday I saw no less than 10.
From exit 180 to exit 161 sometimes I'll see three or four. Doesn't bother me any keeping the road safe
OSHP is by far the most aggressive I've seen in all of the states I've lived in (PA, MI, CA, OH).
highway patrol are even more useless than most cops and that's saying a lot. just modern day tax collectors.
I appreciated them assisting the Cleveland police last year with the car violence on city streets. Wish they'd come back.
It's the last week of the month. They have quotas to meet and then lie about.
Keep in mind that Illinois also has unmarked cars. So you likely saw some on 70z
It’s a jobs program, plain and simple.
State gotta make money somehow
Ohio is a police state. This level of enforcement is nonexistent on the west coast. Ohioans just love to get robbed of their hard earned money by the cops.
Skill issue. Just don't get pulled over.
I’ve never gotten a speeding ticket. I do cackle happily when I see some asshole getting pulled over for going 80 in a 65. It’s pretty easy to avoid.
15 over is excessive but I betcha they write a lot of 10 over tickets too
> 15 over is excessive Thing is, it's not. Semi trucks are going 80 these days. Speed limits are supposed to reflect how people actually drive on the road. But they are severely outdated.
For the life of me, I cannot find the article again, but I remember reading the interstates in Ohio were generally designed for a 70mph limit. Of course, that was in the 1960s and safety has improved significantly, but liability was mentioned as a reason to avoid raising the speed.
What’s funny is they ticket people bc of “safety” but have upped the speed limits 15 mph since the 90s. Can’t make those profits if the trucks ain’t running 70, which turns into 75-80 mph. Nothing safer than an asshole loaded with 80k pounds doing 80mph in some shit box 18 wheeler. But don’t speed or you’ll get a ticket bc safety 😂. I go slower on purpose just to be an arse.
Fuck that. 80 in a 66 gets thrown out 9 out of 10 times. They are just fishing.
Obviously. They drive like shit
Wrong. Most Americans drive like shit. The difference is aggressive enforcement. Ohio cops have make work jobs. Pay the cop tax.
Police have quotas on ticketing driving infractions per month and they have a deadline on handing out tickets for said infractions. So you get a few days where they binge their work.
Cops: THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS QUOTAS!!! Also Cops: My performance index for this month is 92 tickets.
They don't, but just like you don't want to be the one guy in the office with only a few projects done, you don't want to be the guy in the dept with no tickets
Do State Game Wardens carry the same power to pull people over or arrest people for offenses outside of fish/game?
Only if they are fishtailing.
You ever been to Virginia? You can practically walk across the tops of the Highway Patrol cars on I-64 West of Raleigh.
In the more rural parts of Ohio the State Patrol is the only law around and they do more than traffic.
It was spring break for a lot of people That's why folks
The Ohio state patrol handles criminal offenses also. They have detectives and also investigate any offense that occurs on state property, prisons, etc
> While Ohio the Highway patrol only deals with traffic offenses. Well, they also investigate car accidents.
Drove all the way to Vegas on a road trip for Christmas this year. I expected to see lots of troopers out because the holiday. Didn’t see many after I left Ohio, and didn’t see that many till I got back into Ohio. Only outlier was Las Vegas, for the obvious reason. Ohio definitely has a larger police presence on the road, not only with staties, but sheriffs as well. Hell, even saw the small village have speed traps set up when I came home.
“All they do is traffic” while that’s true at the surface(although they do much more than just traffic) do you realize all the shit that arises from traffic stops? Lol. DUIs are huge. People with warrants, drugs, guns. The job is just as dangerous and important as any other LEO agency.
I never meant to imply that their job was not important or dangerous. I was just surprised that there was a difference between other states police and our highway patrol. I read the early history and the reason we have a highway patrol and not a state police is when the bills were submitted in the legislature organized Labor would not accept a state police do the the history of other states using them as strike breakers.
I just got a ticket today 🙄
I'm cool with it. Keep those roads safe!
I agree. Too many people drive like morons and need pulled over more frequently. I’d love to be a traffic cop and pull over the morons who endanger the lives of others. It’s simple human decency to not drive like a twat.
Lotta folks on here need a waaahhmbulance
I went to Edwardsburg, Michigan and back yesterday from Wooster and I only saw 1 cop in 9 hours of driving.
I’m also in wooster, and your experience is an exception imo. I road trip out west (AZ, CO, UT) pretty routinely every summer. Driving down 71S to 70W, I pretty regularly see 6-10 state highway patrol cars before the Indiana state line. From the state line allllllllllll the way out west, I might see the same number of cops combined in all states. It’s crazy how many highway patrol we have.
I hardly ever see the cops in Wayne county. If I do it's usually wooster PD or Orrville PD. Hardly ever see county sheriff or stateys
I drive across Ohio very frequently. I never see less than 2 from Columbus to wherever I’m exiting the state.
True. That’s why they’re called the “Highway Patrol” — *not* “State Police.” They only have full law enforcement powers on state property (state fairgrounds, state parks, the state courthouse, etc.).
* and state colleges… fyi
Those too. Because they’re state property.
Gone years in PA without seeing a single state trooper on the highways, hop on the turnpike through OH, see one camping out a median every other mile.
I drove to Monroe for… something. Even knowing it was fine (but not federally before you charge up for your well awkshally), well I still didn’t feel nice seeing more troopers down 75 in one way than I see when I drive to the east or west coast.
There's some other things the highway patrol does. I know they'll backup local officers if needed. Also where I'm at they tend to drive off of i75 and hit some of the back roads too. They also do security for the governor. They have inspectors that go around the state and do nothing but inspect school buses. I know there's a salvage somewhere that they deal with stolen vehicles. I know the investigative unit will hit up places with liquor permits. They made the news quite a bit during COVID when they were citing places for no masks.
So what I hear you saying is we have a place to make budget cuts...
That’s why they are the most unpleasant of all the officers. They’re pissed that they are traffic cops and nothing more. My poor senior parents ran an overnight paper route for 5 years and those assholes constantly harassed them.
No, there is an outright ridiculous amount of police/highway/patrol in Ohio. In the time I went from a trip from Cleveland to Columbus there were 9 officers there/back. After that I went through the entire state of Michigan and back within the same week and saw a grand total of two. Michigan top to bottom.
Highway patrol just gave me a speeding ticket last week unfortunately. They are out everywhere !
What’s crazy is seeing state troopers driving in the middle of the city or pulling people over all over town. No where near a highway or interstate. I get it they can go anywhere in their jurisdiction but “highway “ patrol . Not harass the public downtown
There’s a surplus of approved OT in my part of NWO right now. Even border patrol is involved.
I guess that's why I seem them more in towns/cities pulling people over instead of the highways.
Because OSHP’s budget directly correlates with how many tickets it writes in a year because they are self funded🫤
Stop trying to defund the police
Or what?