State Agencies
The Maryland State Police, originally
established by Chapter 303, Acts of 1935, had its
functions recodified by Chapter 547, Acts of
1968. "The Agency is charged with the enforce-
ment of the motor vehicle and criminal laws of
the State, and more specifically to safeguard the
lives and safety of all persons within the State, to
protect property, and to assist in securing to all
persons the equal protection of law. "The Agency
also has the responsibility to preserve the public
peace; to detect and prevent crime; to enforce the
laws and ordinances of the State and its local
subdivisions; to apprehend and arrest criminals
and those who violate or are lawfully accused of
violating such laws and ordinances; to preserve
order in public places; to maintain the safe and
orderly flow of traffic on public streets and
highways; to cooperate with and assist law en-
forcement agencies in carrying out their duties;
and to discharge its duties and responsibilities
with the dignity and manner that will inspire
public confidence and respect.
The Agency has Statewide jurisdiction, except
in incorporated municipalities. Within such mu-
nicipalities its jurisdiction is limited to: (1) when
in pursuit of an offender or suspected offender;
(2) when in search of an offender or suspected of-
fender wanted for a crime committed outside the
limits of the municipality, or when interviewing
or seeking to interview a witness or supposed wit-
ness to such a crime; (3) when requested to act
by the chief executive officer of the municipality
in question or its chief police officer; (4) when or-
dered by the Governor to act within the munici-
pality in question; (5) when enforcing the motor
vehicle laws of the State; (6) in any building or
place when ordered by the President of the Senate
and the Speaker of the House, or either of them,
to guard the safety of the legislative process; (7)
to protect the safety of an elected State official
(Code 1957, Art. 88B, sees. 3, 4, 20, and 23).
The State Police also enforce the provisions of
the Code relating to Controlled Dangerous
Substances (narcotics) throughout the State with-
out any limitation as to activities within munici-
pal corporations or other subdivisions (Code
1957, Art. 27, sec. 298 (g)).
The State Police is directed by the Superinten-
dent, who is appointed by the Governor by and
with the advice and consent of the Senate to serve
at the pleasure of the Governor. Chapter 547,
Acts of 1968, also provides for the appointment
of a Deputy Superintendent, who is designated by
the Superintendent with the approval of the Sec-
retary of Public Safety and Correctional Services
(Code 1957, Art. 88B, sees. 14 and 16).

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The Investigation Division of the State Police
has the responsibility to conduct requested crimi-
nal investigations that occur anywhere within the
State of Maryland. "This responsibility includes,
but is not limited to, the detection and arrest of
criminal offenders, the recovery of lost and stolen
property, handling extradition proceedings, and
performing other investigations as directed by the
Superintendent of the State Police.
"The Identification Division of the State Police
maintains detailed files and records and
cooperates with other law enforcement agencies in
the exchange of information relating to crimes
and criminals. Laboratory services are provided
to all allied agencies upon request and field ser-
vice technicians are available throughout the State
to process crime and disaster scenes using the lat-
est in scientific equipment.
In 1976 the State Legislature created the State
Criminal Justice Information System. "This sys-
tem, which is a central repository for the collec-
tion, storage, and dissemination of criminal histo-
ry record information, functions under the
operational control of the State Police. "The sys-
tem compiles statistics on criminal activity
throughout the State. "This compilation of crimi-
nal statistics from all law enforcement
jurisdictions is published in the form of quarterly
crime reports for the entire State. Analysis of the
figures indicating trends and other pertinent sta-
tistical data is accomplished by this system (Code
1957, Art. 27, sees. 742-755).
The State Police is also charged with the licens-
ing of private detectives and security guards
(Code 1957, Art. 56, sees. 75-92), as well as with
the registration of firearms and the investigation,
with the assistance of other police agencies, of
those persons desiring to purchase a handgun
from a registered firearms dealer (Code 1957, Art.
27, sees. 441-448).
The Agency is charged with the responsibility to
investigate all applicants desiring to wear, carry, or
transport a handgun. Investigations are conducted
by members of the State Police and other police
agencies. "The Superintendent, after reviewing the
report of investigation, has the authority to ap-
prove or disapprove the application and either is-
sue, or refuse to issue, an appropriate permit (Code
1957, Art. 27, sec. 36). "The Agency also operates a
voluntary firearms registration service for those ac-
quiring or owning firearms that are not controlled
by other statutes. The Agency investigates and
processes those persons desiring to secure a special
police commission from the Governor (Code 1957,
Art. 41, sees. 60^70).