Tennessee Highway Patrol

About Tennessee Highway Patrol

The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) is the highway patrol agency for the U.S. state of Tennessee, responsible for enforcing all federal and state laws relating to traffic on the state's federal and state highways. It is a component of the Department of Safety.

The THP provides assistance to motorists who need help. It investigates traffic accidents involving property damage, personal injury, or death. THP works with prosecutors in the prosecution of cases in which the use of drugs or alcohol contributed to accidents causing personal injury or fatalities. In addition to traffic law enforcement it has responsibilities in criminal interdiction, which involves the suppression of narcotics on the state's roads and highways, including Interstate Highways.

The THP was formed in 1929 as a component of the new Tennessee State Police Force, which was patterned after the Texas Rangers.