Wisconsin State Patrol Celebrates 80 Years

This week marks the 80th anniversary of the Wisconsin State Patrol.

The Patrol was created on September 1, 1939 after the state legislature formed the Motor Vehicle Department with three divisions. The Inspection and Enforcement division would become the modern Wisconsin State Patrol, according to Wisconsin Department of Transportation history.

Officers that year purchased their own patrol cars and were reimbursed for gas and oil. Whenever the car was used off duty, officers displayed their own license plate.

Early officers were not issued weapons, but those who had weapons from previous service could use them. There was also no communications equipment in the vehicles — officers contacted headquarters by finding a telephone. During the war a radio station would broadcast an alert to headquarters for a specific officer in emergencies, and other officers would tune in, then go to the nearest telephone for instructions. It wasn’t until 1943 that the State Patrol put its own radio signal on the air.

Traffic control was just a small portion of State Trooper duties, typically taking up time only on holidays like New Years Eve, Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day. The officers performed life-saving measures as necessary, such as in 1940 when an unexpected October blizzard stalled hundreds of unprepared motorists. For two days, officers didn’t stop to rest as they rescued travelers.

Exceptional circumstances officers faced in the 1950s included helping a mother give birth in the backseat of her car, rescuing a pilot who bailed from his disabled military jet plane (after which, Madison-area officers were given pilot rescue training), and dispatching a black bear who tried to attack at a two-car accident scene.

Today, the Wisconsin State Patrol continues its dedication to the safety of the motorists across the state, as it has done since 1939.

“We have been protecting our great state’s motorists since and will continue to do so without fail,” it wrote on its Facebook page. “Happy birthday, Wisconsin State Patrol!”

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