ALABAMA HAS LESS STATE TROOPERS: STAFFING AT CRITICAL LEVELS

Matt Boster

Viewed: 4367

Posted by: Matt Boster
Date: Aug 13 2015 8:04 AM

Montgomery:  With only 418, State Troopers, Alabama has significantly less State Troopers patrolling roadways compared to surrounding states and those states with similar populations.  

“I am proud of our Alabama State Troopers. They diligently patrol all roadways in Alabama – state, federal, and county,” said Secretary of Law Enforcement Spencer Collier.  “But, we are operating at 42 percent of recommended staffing, according to a recent study by the University of Alabama’s Center for Advanced Public Safety (CAPS), with only 418 State Troopers to cover Alabama roadways which is also substantially less than surrounding and similar-size states.”  

·         Louisiana State Police has 543 State Troopers which patrol all roadways.

·         South Carolina Department of Public Safety’s Highway Patrol has 658 State Troopers which patrol their roadways.

·         Florida Highway Patrol has 1,800 State Troopers who patrol all roadways.

·         Georgia Department of Public Safety’s State Patrol has 629 State Troopers who patrol all roadways.

·         Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s Highway Patrol has 610 State Troopers who patrol all roadways.

·         Mississippi Department of Public Safety’s Highway Safety Patrol has 375, but they ONLY patrols state and federal highways, not county roadways.

·         Maryland State Police has 656 State Troopers who ONLY patrol state highways, not county roadways.

CAPS, which is independent of ALEA, concluded that Alabama should be staffed at a minimum of 1,016 Troopers including field supervisors assigned to patrol the roadways of the State of Alabama. Currently, there is one county without an assigned Trooper, four counties with one Trooper and a dozen counties with only two Troopers.  Additionally, Because of the ongoing manpower shortage, State Troopers were called out on off days or after completing their shift 3,816 times during the first six months of 2015, to work the 15,198 crashes on Alabama roadways.

Secretary Collier continued, “With 874 more State Trooper-investigated crashes and 582 more injuries on Alabama roadways during the first six months of 2015, our State Troopers are spending the majority of their time reacting, opposed to proactively patrolling, resulting in more accidents and more injuries.  During the Regular and First Special Legislative Sessions of 2015, Legislators proposed cuts to state law enforcement that would be devastating to our already critically low staffing levels.  Our agency simply cannot take another cut.  We ask that the citizens of Alabama contact their Legislators and voice their opposition to further cuts that could result in the loss of more Alabama State Troopers. ”

 

<- back