Alabama Dept of Public Safety

I’ve just moved back to the state, after 5 and half years away, so I need to re-familiarize myself with Alabama government agencies. I figure that by reviewing their web site (and the information resources available) on this blog, I can a) educate others who may wander by; and b) have this available for searching anytime I need it! I’m hoping to make this a weekly feature - which day it appears on will probably vary by week. Today’s featured agency is the Alabama Department of Public Safety.

AL DPS is comprised of 6 division: Administrative, Alabama Bureau of Investigation, Driver License, Highway Patrol, Protective Services, and Service.

The Administrative Division is what I like to think of as the umbrella for the agency. The Public Information Office is included in this division - yep, the people who issue the press releases and the yearly statistics (which right now consist of Statewide Accidents for 2005). Another interesting part of this division? The DPS chaplains.

Alabama Bureau of Investigation: A really great part of this web site is the AL DPS Community Information Center. Here you can find any current Amber Alerts, Missing Child Media Alerts, the 5 most recent missing persons and the 5 most recent felony fugitives. You can also find the RSS feeds for all of those alerts! And in the same portal you can search the sex offenders database, to find out if there are any sex offenders in your neighborhood, apartment complex, etc. The Community Information Center also provides contact information for every police department in the state.

Also a part of the ABI is the Criminal Information Center.  This center “is designed to provide a source of information and services to assist federal, state or local law enforcement agencies with criminal investigations.” If you’re looking to run a criminal history on someone, the forms that you’ll need (and the fees you’ll have to pay) are available here.

The ABI also has sections on Methamphetamine Investigations - including signs of a meth lab in your neighborhood; and Internet Crimes Against Children - which has information for kids, for teens, and for parents.

The Driver License division provides information on…you guessed it, obtaining a driver’s license in the state of Alabama! Any forms that you’ll need, answers to Frequently Asked Questions, etc., are available on the division’s site.

The Highway Patrol site includes information on … They also have a description of aerial speed enforcement - so for all of you who’ve wondered about those highway signs about planes…this is for you. They also have the list of the tag number county designations - for all of you (like me!) who wonder what county that car’s from that just passed you, or that you just passed. This is also where you’ll find tag requirements & regulations for antique and vintage vehicles.

Now, before I clicked on the link, I thought that the Protective Services Division was the agency that housed social workers & others who kept children from harm.  But no.  According to the welcome note, “The Division consists of the State Capitol Police Unit, the Executive Security Unit, and the Governor’s Mansion Security Detail.” I found some more information about each unit, and a bit of history about the Governor’s Mansion, but there wasn’t a whole lot of info available.

Last, but not least, we have the Services Division.  According to the site, “We have designed our web site to provide comprehensive information on the services we provide to the Department of Public Safety and the people of the State of Alabama. These services include training, aviation, photographic services, supply, fleet maintenance, communications engineering, printing services, and recruiting. Many of these services are available to other law enforcement agencies particularly those involving training in Selma and aviation.”  so if you want to find information on the Basic Police Academy or training for state troopers, this is the site for you.

Site Summary:  I really thought that I’d be able to see more crime statistics here - perhaps there’s another agency that does that, perhaps not.  I like the Community Information Center a LOT - and being able to have an RSS feed for Amber Alerts & Recent Fugitive Felons is an interesting feature.  From a govdocs librarian’s point of view, I didn’t see a ton of information that could help researchers - but from an Alabama resident’s perspective I’m very excited to find a list of what numbers = what counties!