The Arkansas Highway Police is a highway police unit of the state of Arkansas. It primarily enforce rules and regulations of the Arkansas Department of Transportation (formerly the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department). Its other responsibilities are Motor Carrier Enforcement, Traffic Control, Hazardous Material enforcement, and drug interdiction. It is the second-largest state law enforcement agency in Arkansas after the Arkansas State Police. It was founded in 1929 and is the oldest law enforcement agency in Arkansas. History In the 1929 regular session, the Arkansas General Assembly passed Act 299, which was later entitled the State Road Patrol Act. The result of the act was the assignment of administrative oversight of the Arkansas Road Patrol to the Arkansas Highway Department. The men appointed to fill the twenty allocated positions for the patrol became the first enforcement officers in Arkansas to be officially commissioned by state law. The badges issued to the officers were inscribed with, "Arkansas State Highway Police". Through the years following the creation of the Patrol, the unit was transferred between various agencies, never for more than 15 years. For a time, the agency was a part of the Arkansas Revenue Department, creating a working relationship that transcended all subsequent relocations of the enforcement group. Today, all Highway Police Officers carry a commission as an Agent of the Commissioner of Revenues. In 1963, the enforcement effort that began as the State Road Patrol, once again became a part of the Arkansas Highway Department. In 1979, the Division's name was changed to the Arkansas Highway Police. In 1989, the powers and duties of the Transportation Safety Agency were transferred to the Highway Police and officers began to include enforcement of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations. Today, the Arkansas Highway Police is a nationally recognized leader in the fields of drug interdiction, motor carrier safety and hazardous materials enforcement, and training. Highway Police officers serve as instructors for the Criminal Justice Institute, National Training Center, Transportation Safety Institute, and the Drug Interdiction Assistance Program. Authority of AHP officers When enforcing commercial vehicle size, weight, and safety laws, AHP officers are authorized by Arkansas Law to stop and inspect commercial vehicles in Arkansas without establishing probable cause or reasonable suspicion. By statute, AHP is the only police agency in Arkansas that can conduct safety inspections of commercial motor vehicles and is the only agency that can cite drivers and