State Troopers are committed to protecting North Carolina's motoring public.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol's primary mission is to reduce collisions and make the highways of North Carolina as safe as possible. The State Highway Patrol has more than 1,600 troopers who cover nearly 80,000 miles of North Carolina roadways, more than any other state except Texas. In addition to enforcing the state's traffic laws, state troopers also guide traffic during hurricane evacuations, re-route traffic around hazardous chemical spills, and they stand ready, should any act of terrorism occur.
Need Assistance: dial *47 (*HP) on a cellular phone.
Contact Us: 919-733-7952
Col. Freddy Johnson, Jr.
Commander, State Highway Patrol
Gov. Cooper appointed Col. Freddy L. Johnson, Jr. as commander of the State Highway Patrol in April 2021. The Fayetteville native began his service as a state trooper in 1996 and served the majority of his career in Robeson and Cumberland counties. He was promoted to the rank of captain in 2013 and major in 2017.
Troop Locations
The Highway Patrol has eight troop locations throughout the state. A Traffic Safety Information officer is located at each troop to promote highway safety and provide presentations to schools, civic groups, or any other interested parties.
Governor's Awards for Excellence
On April 8, 2022, at approximately 12:13 a.m., Trooper C. E. Thao was on preventive patrol in Wake County when he responded to a call for assistance from a neighboring Sheriff’s Office regarding a vehicle pursuit that was in the process of entering into Wake County.
Trooper Thao was traveling on I-40 east when he intercepted the pursuit as it continued nearby on Rock Quarry Rd in Raleigh. As Thao traveled onto the exit ramp leading to Rock Quarry Rd, the suspect also abruptly turned off of Rock Quarry Rd and proceeded down the same exit ramp, consequently traveling into the path of Trooper Thao, and ultimately would have continued the wrong way on I-40 if successful entry onto the interstate were made.
Trooper Thao observed the headlights of the suspect vehicle traveling toward him at a high rate of speed and in a split-second decision elected to turn his patrol vehicle into the path of the suspect and block the impending wrong-way entry onto I-40. Both vehicles collided in the roadway and came to rest, after which the suspect was successfully apprehended.
No parties were injured during the incident, and the suspect was charged with Driving While Impaired among other offenses. Trooper Thao, who had been on the job less than a year at the time of the incident, has been praised for his decisive, selfless thinking that undoubtedly saved lives by preventing a wrong-way driver from traveling down a major North Carolina interstate.
On Oct. 25, 2022, Trooper Thao was among several honorees who received the prestigious Governor’s Award for Excellence, which is the highest honor that a state employee may receive for noteworthy service to state government and the people of North Carolina.
Become a North Carolina State Trooper
The NC Highway Patrol State Auxiliary strives to aid and assist, promote fellowship and create a bond among the families of the State Highway Patrol. The auxiliary is a charitable organization that provides scholarships for higher education to members of the auxiliary or direct line descendants of members of the auxiliary; provides disaster relief funds to patrol families affected by fire, flood, wind, storm, and other natural disasters; provide receptions at patrol graduations, memorial service, and other events; and providel members with items that compliment their state issued supplies.
NC Highway Patrol Retirees Association
This Association is for all State Highway Patrol retirees, uniform and civilian.
North Carolina Troopers Association
The North Carolina Troopers Association (NCTA) excels at providing aid and support to Highway Patrol families in many different areas. NCTA provides meals and snacks to Troopers on long special assignments. In addition they also provide supplemental insurance to members that is paid to surviving family members within 24 hours of a line of duty death. NCTA provides many valuable benefits to members such as ten scholarships to children of members each year and access to financial planners. NCTA also provides financial assistance to member's families who are hospitalized. The Troopers Association also owns and operates the NCTA/NCSHP Caisson unit at no cost to NCSHP. This unit is provided free of charge to families of Law Enforcement, Fire, and EMS who are killed in the line of duty. NCTA also provides fellowship and support to NCSHP families by hosting and paying for an annual family fun day that may be attended by all NCTA members and their families. The Troopers Association also works hard in the local communities to provide a positive image of Troopers and the Highway Patrol. To find out more about NCTA visit them at www.nctroopers.org.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol does not solicit financial contributions from private citizens. NCSHP is funded from tax dollars. If you have been contacted by an organization representing itself to be the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, you should know that the NCSHP receives no financial support from these organizations. Some groups include in their names the terms "Highway Patrol," "State Troopers," or "North Carolina Highway Patrol." While some officers may be members of these associations on their own time, these organizations are not affiliated with the NCSHP; they are private associations raising money to fund their own programs.
If you have been contacted by an organization that you believe is misrepresenting itself, contact the North Carolina Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division at 919-716-6000.