The Tennessee Department of Safety’s (TDOS) mission is to ensure the safety and general welfare of the public. The department encompasses the Tennessee Highway Patrol, Office of Homeland Security and Driver License Services. General areas of responsibility include law enforcement, safety education, motorist services, and terrorism prevention.

Headquartered in Nashville, TDOS maintains a strong presence statewide with more than 50 field offices and employees in each of the state’s 95 counties. TDOS is comprised of a highly professional staff of more than 1,700 employees, approximately half of which are commissioned law enforcement officers.

Since the department’s creation in 1939, TDOS has undergone various modifications to ensure it is equipped to meet the needs of Tennessee’s citizens. Although the primary focus is on highway safety and ensuring the general welfare of motorists and citizens, the department’s services extend to virtually everyone within the state’s borders including students, teachers, attorneys, courts, financial institutions, insurance companies, automobile dealers, media representatives, and various other persons in need of the department’s specialized services.

The department has come a long way since the first State Police Force was created in 1929, patterned after the historic Texas Rangers. The department itself was established by the General Assembly in 1939, a decade after Governor Henry Horton signed a law creating the Tennessee Highway Patrol, an offshoot of the State Police Force. Today, the department and its highly trained state troopers are responsible for safety on more than 87,000 miles of state and federal highways. Numerous other department responsibilities include:

• Issuing driver licenses
• Investigating crashes
• Conducting school bus and day care van inspections
• Administering forfeitures in DUI and drug cases
• Investigating auto theft, and
• Enforcing commercial vehicle laws and regulations

In 1937, Tennessee became the 32nd state to enact a driver license law. During the first year, 521,571 licenses were issued, while today the number of licensed drivers in Tennessee is 4.1 million.