David Steward: Trooper shortage is a matter of life and death
Between late 2010 and the end of 2014, the state of Alabama did not hire a single state trooper. Despite this freeze, we still had over 400 state troopers. Now we have less than 300. That leaves us over 700 men and women short of the number that we need (1,000) according to the Center for Advanced Public Safety at the University of Alabama. In fact, since that hiring freeze, trooper levels have dipped 22% further. The year before the freeze there were 333 fatal accidents on Alabama roads. Last year there were 848. That’s a 155% increase in roadway fatalities. After spending the last 21 years as a state trooper, I can assure you there’s a clear correlation between those numbers. There is no question that more troopers on the road deter accidents and saves lives. Response times can be measured in hours, not minutes in rural counties. Many times troopers are handling multiple counties, covering hundreds of miles. Ideally backup is a few minutes away, but at current levels, it could be 45 minutes or more. We’ve reached a point in staffing where it’s no longer just a safety concern for the people we serve, it’s a safety concern for our officers. The force continues to grow older with a shrinking applicant pool to replace them. Many in our current force are eligible for retirement or will be soon. Without the ability to offer competitive salaries and benefits, those pools will continue to shrink. It’s not just a manpower shortage, resources are scarce as well. Troopers head out onto the highways in cruisers that are past their useful life, with equipment that needs to be replaced. Safety concerns are exponentially compounded when you’re understaffed and under-equipped. Alabama doesn’t have unlimited funds, but the state is in a very different economic situation than we were in 2010. The unemployment rate has hit record lows, the economy is growing, and the state budgets are in better shape than they’ve ever been. One of the primary functions of Government is protecting its citizenry and that begins with a properly funded state police unit. This notion was borne out in a recent survey of Alabamians. 75% of respondents believe a lack of Troopers is leading to unsafe roadways. 75% also think Troopers should receive more funding, even if it means making other cuts in the budget. The decision to serve the people of this state was an easy one, but the job can be anything but. Our current funding level makes it nearly untenable. Alabama has a long history of unwavering support of our first responders. Please encourage your lawmakers to continue that tradition. ••• David Steward is the President of the Alabama State Trooper Association.
Alabama State Trooper Association calls for end to public safety crisis, additional funding
On Tuesday the Alabama State Trooper Association (ASTA) called for an increase of funding from Gov. Kay Ivey and state legislators for state troopers to combat the dangerous shortage of staffing at the state level of the agency. ASTA President David Steward said despite the growth of the economy and the stability of the General Fund budget, troopers are still woefully understaffed and underfunded. “There are less than 250 Troopers to serve all of Alabama, even though recent studies suggest that over 1,000 Troopers is the appropriate number for a state the size of Alabama,” Steward said. “At current staffing levels, there is one state Trooper for every 214 square miles in Alabama.” According to ASTA, Trooper presence is the single largest deterrent of accidents on Alabama’s highways. Despite this, budget cuts have lead to a 22 percent drop in Trooper staffing since 2014. During that time, auto injuries have risen by 19 percent and auto fatalities are up a whopping 28 percent. “Seconds count in an accident and troopers are having to cover hundreds of miles,” Steward added. “Often one trooper is handling multiple counties.” This is not the first time state legislators have been called on to provide for more funding for State Troopers. In January 2017, former Alabama Law Enforcement Secretary (ALEA) Stan Stabler requested a $60 million General Fund budget increase. The extra funding would have included $14.3 million of which would be appointed to the ALEA for the cost of hiring and equipping 100 new state troopers for a year. ASTA’s request may soon be answered. Ivey requested a $3.2 million increase in Alabama’s General Fund to be allocated to the ALEA to be used for a new class of 30 state troopers. “It’s a start,” said ASTA Executive Director Neil Tew. “30 is something to build on. We’re hoping it will be more the following year.
