North Carolina State Capitol Police

The force was formed by the North Carolina General Assembly on 13 August 1967, in response to a spate of thefts and incidents of vandalism at state government buildings in Raleigh, the state capital.[1]

The new force originally started with a budget of $34,704 per year, and had seven officers under the command of Chief Ray Sorrell, who had previously been the police chief in Garner, North Carolina. The primary responsilbiites of the force were to patrol state government facilities in Raleigh and to supervise the operation and security of state government parking lots.[1]

Prior to the formation of the State Capitol Police, the state relied on a force of security guards who provided security outside business hours. After the State Capitol Police Force was created, 18 security guards remained a part of the force, and provided a security presence when the uniformed police officers were not on duty.[1]

The force was originally part of the General Services Division of the Department of Administration, and the headquarters were in the East Administration Building on East Jones Street, Raleigh.[1]

Commanded by State Capitol Police Chief R.E. "Chip" Hawley, the force currently provides a range of services, including escorting high-value cash movements, criminal investigations and surveillance through the Criminal Investigations Unit, crowd management through the Civil Disturbance Team, emergency telecommunications, including alarm and surveillance monitoring, and parking enforcement.[2]

In 2011, the force was reorganised, and had 40 sworn officers, 18 non-sworn security guards, and three civilian staff. The annual budget was $1,447,696.[3]

• Capitol police
• List of law enforcement agencies in North Carolina
• North Carolina General Assembly Police

• Official Website of the North Carolina State Capitol Police