Missouri Highway Patrol launches STORM team to tackle crime, dangerous driving

MISSOURI - The Missouri State Highway Patrol has launched a Strategic Traffic Operations and Rapid Mobilization (STORM) team, a specialized unit focusing on crime and traffic enforcement.

STORM is a specialized group consisting of 23 troopers of diverse expertise, including canine units, impaired driving enforcement, hazardous moving specialists, interdiction officers, and motorcycle officers.

MSHP launched the STORM team on Sept. 1, and it has already been deployed on a smaller scale across the state.

One of the unit's first large-scale operations came on Sept. 16, when 10 STORM team members and the Aircraft Division deployed throughout Jackson County. The operation led to 30 arrests, 41 citations, 72 traffic stops, 89 warnings and one firearm seized.

Organizers say this is a proactive step by the Highway Patrol and Missouri Department of Public Safety to help ensure the state is a safer place to visit and live.

The team will primarily focus on roadways with high crash rates, dangerous driving behaviors, and criminal activity.