30 Ways in 30 Days: State Police

Funding Cuts Would Imperil Police Protection Across Pennsylvania

Individuals and families protected by the Pennsylvania State Police, especially those living in rural areas and small towns, would see fewer patrols due to a funding cut proposed in the Senate-approved budget plan.
 
HARRISBURG (June 14, 2009) - A budget plan passed last month by the state Senate would drastically reduce funding for Pennsylvania State Police patrols, as more small municipalities turn to state troopers for public safety services.
 
Senate Bill 850 would slash state police funding by $8 million from the current year funding level and by $16 million from what the Governor proposed in February. This cut would imperil the state police's ability to provide protection in many small towns, causing local governments to either operate without protection or hire their own local police forces, leading to local tax increases.
 
Currently, the state police force patrols more than 1,700 of the state's 2,573 municipalities and the majority of the state's rural areas.  The state police employs a workforce of more than 4,500 troopers in addition to another 1,600 civilian support staff.  The troopers account for 19% of the total police force across the state and provide primary service for more than a quarter of Pennsylvania's population.  The state police are also responsible for patrolling two-thirds of the Commonwealth's highways.
 
In the past 15 months, a total of 19 suburban and rural police agencies have closed, and seven others have cut patrols.  This has forced the state police to assume public safety responsibility for an additional 54,000 Pennsylvanians, Lt. Col. Lenny Bandy, deputy commissioner of operations for the state police, told USA Today last month.
 
A bill pending in the state House would force municipalities of 10,000 or more residents that rely on the state police for protection to pay a $100 per capita tax for those public safety services.  Another House bill currently being considered would force every municipality, regardless of size, to pay for state police protection if it does not already provide a local police force.
 
State Police Commissioner Frank Pawlowski told the House Appropriations Committee members in February that increasing demand for services could result in a manpower shortage.  "We are moving resources around to address the demand," he remarked.  "But the bottom line is, if this keeps going like it has been going, it's going to start to hurt."

Return to 30 Ways in 30 Days Service Cuts Will Hurt Pennsylvanians.