Driving on our interstates and state routes, you might feel remiss if you fail to spot a Department of Public Safety trooper patrolling. Those troopers must be hiding behind a large ground-mounted billboard or behind a grouping of trees hoping to catch speeders and other scofflaws.
But the real reason patrol cars can’t be seen they just aren’t there.
For the first time in my 18-year career, DPS troopers can’t cover 13 of the state’s 15 counties throughout the whole day. Yes, only two counties Maricopa and Pima boast 24-hour coverage by state troopers. DPS troopers are often the first and only responders to major crashes on highways or interstates. Leaving these roads without coverage drastically decreases the safety of the traveling public.
The facts are simple: DPS faces a historic number of vacancies among its trooper ranks. As the state Legislature and Gov. Katie Hobbs sit down to craft a budget, it’s important for them to address this problem before it leads to serious consequences on our highways.
As of the start of the legislative session in January, DPS faced a trooper shortfall of more than 300. But in reality, DPS has almost 500 vacancies even though some of those trooper positions have never been funded by the Legislature. We only have 500 trooper positions available to work today. Arizona has built 1,300 miles of highways and interstates since the 1990s but added no more trooper positions. By comparison, Washington state has about 1,100 troopers to patrol the state highways.
While the Legislature has boosted the pay for DPS troopers in recent years, multiple agencies in the Phoenix metropolitan area offer significantly better salaries and benefits. Attracting recruits either those new to law enforcement or veterans coming from a different agency remains an impossible challenge for DPS because our pay is not competitive. The cold hard fact is when qualified recruits evaluate which agency to join, pay and benefits sway their decision.
Even the people who answer your 911 calls face a high vacancy rate. The dispatch center is down 40 positions, which puts a significant strain on those who must work overtime in a very stressful environment.
The solution, of course, will cost some money. A 15% across the board raise to sworn officers, including troopers, detectives and dispatchers costs the state $35 million a year. While Arizona is facing a budget shortfall next year, public safety is the state’s top priority. DPS must come first when divvying up new money spent next year. Even as our budget writers look to make spending reductions, $35 million represents just .002 percent of the last state budget a true pittance.
In addition to receiving some pay hikes in recent years, the Legislature has also provided funds for some important projects at DPS such as improving the dog training facility in Casa Grande and purchasing a new helicopter to perform rescues in remote areas.
But we believe this small amount of money goes a long way to improving both morale and recruitment at DPS.
State troopers remain the backbone of DPS and now it’s time to match their value with a pay increase.
Jeff Hawkins is president of the Arizona Troopers Association.
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