LANSING, MI-- This week marks the 97th birthday of the Michigan State Police.
The department began during World War I as a temporary wartime emergency force for domestic security.
In 1917 Governor Albert Sleeper created the Michigan State Troops Permanent Force, also known as the Michigan State Constabulary, employing five troops.
In 1919 the force was reorganized as the permanent, peacetime Michigan State Police; and when Michigan adopted a new constitution authorizing up to 20 departments in 1963, the State Police became one of those departments.
Today, the MSP employs nearly 2,700 enforcement and civilian members.
Governor Rick Snyder has declared this week Michigan State Police History Week.
