Indiana State Police celebrates 75 years

The Indiana State Police is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year with a throwback to the old days.\nTo commemorate the anniversary, the Indiana State Police has commissioned a car and a new badge and has taken the opportunity to look back on the changes that have taken place.\nAny officer who orders a badge can wear one. Sgt. Curt Durnil, public information officer at the Bloomington Post, said 10 to 15 of the 40 officers at the Bloomington Post have purchased one. The gold-plated badges feature part of an American flag, part of Indiana’s flag and the state seal.\nThe car is a black 2008 Ford Crown Victoria with a “hard yellow” stripe, a 75th-anniversary decal and a commemorative license plate, Durnil said. He said the cars are a throwback to the cars used in 1933. Some officers drive the cars, and they can be seen at major crimes, accidents and special enforcement projects.\nThe most significant change over the 75-year history is technology, Durnil said.\nFirst Sgt. David Bursten, a public information officer in Indianapolis, said when the Indiana State Police Department started in 1933 it “barely had cars,” and the troopers only enforced traffic violations. Over time, technology and the reliability of the cars improved, and the state police began taking on the same enforcement duties as city police. They help small towns that are less equipped to deal with crimes, such as murders.\n“In the early part of the 1930s, troopers started out with no radios,” Durnil said. To make a call, troopers would have to drive to local farmers or business owners who volunteered use of their phones. To signal that the trooper needed to make a call, the volunteer put a red flag on his mailbox. Eventually, one-way radios were used, then two-way radios, which evolved into the 800 MHz system used today.