Opinion ID: 1424945
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Delaware State Police

Text: The Delaware General Assembly has identified specific duties of State Troopers. In addition to their primary duty to compel the enforcement of all laws relating to the weight, speed and operation of vehicles on the public highways ..., [29] State Troopers also shall suppress all acts of violence, and enforce all laws relating to the safety of persons and property. [30] Although a State Trooper must carry out assignments provided by superiors, and may be assigned to duties that appear purely ministerial, the duties conferred by statute apply to all State Troopers. The duty, even more so than the right, to enforce the laws of the State entails a delegation to State Troopers of a function of sovereignty. The remaining indicia of office, while helpful, do not add a great deal to this analysis. They are much more helpful in discerning who is not a public officer than who is a public officer. An individual is much less likely to be a public officer if that individual does not take an oath, but the converse is not necessarily true. [31] In this case, the oath administered to State Troopers is very similar to that mandated by the Delaware Constitution for public officers, but this alone does not establish that State Troopers are public officers. [32] The same is true with respect to the indicium relating to the term of office. Although an individual serving a defined term of office is more likely to be a public officer, this should not be read to indicate that a person whose service to the State is continuous and indefinite in time cannot be a public officer. Finally, the indicium relating to fees and emoluments is helpful primarily in situations where the alleged public officer is serving in a voluntary capacity. A volunteer is less likely to be a public officer of the State. All State employees receive some pecuniary benefit from their service. This alone cannot determine whether an individual is a public officer. Therefore, the indicium of the exercise of State sovereignty should be the principal focus. That, in turn, implicates principles of separation of powers.