By David Macaulay
Newport News Daily Press
Before the 2001 terrorist attacks and the sex offender registry, the Virginia State Police were the men and women who caught speeders on the interstates and were first on the scene of a car wreck.
Troopers still perform this traditional role, but there are fewer of them to do it. And that could have serious consequences for highway congestion and safety, state police say.
Times have changed, and so has the demand for troopers. According to a state police manpower study, the agency needs nearly 600 new officers to combat growing threats like terrorism, Internet crime and identity theft, as well as provide adequate highway patrols.
“We’ve had to fulfill those responsibilities by drawing from our core mission, which is road safety, highway safety,” spokeswoman Corinne Geller said. “We are taking more and more troopers off the road to fulfill these other specialties.”
The report calls for 579 more sworn employees and 183 more civilians.
Hampton Roads is down 14 troopers, said Michelle Cotten, the local state police spokeswoman. There are now 217 troopers working in the area, she said. “If we have a shortfall of troopers, response times take a beating,” she said.
And that could mean longer backups after accidents on the congested interstates of Hampton Roads, she said. The trooper shortage also has the potential to compromise officer safety.
“We didn’t have all the different crime areas we are investigating today 10 years ago. We now have the sex offenders unit, and counterterrorism work increased after 9/11 in an area where we have a large naval fleet,” Cotten said.
“As more police have moved to specialist areas, we have not been able to replenish the core: the everyday trooper on the interstate.”
The report said 334 new troopers and 22 new sergeants were needed to patrol roads alone to provide 24-hour statewide coverage.
The number of Virginia traffic crashes went up almost 16 percent between 1996 and 2006, and fatalities rose from 2005 to 2007. Last year, 1,012 people died in traffic accidents, the highest toll since 1981.
In addition to patrolling the roads, state police also investigate the rapidly expanding area of Internet crime. The report said use of the Internet to exploit children was “an increasing problem that is currently under-policed.”
The department needs a separate unit to investigate violations of Virginia’s gun laws and additional manpower to meet the growing problem of identity theft, the study found.
And additional support staff are “urgently needed” to perform critical operational and administrative functions, the report said.
Geller said the shortfall wasn’t new but had been exacerbated by the recent cash crisis facing Virginia. The 2008-09 state police budget was slashed $7.5 million under cuts ordered by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine. The department won’t know how much will be cut from next year’s budget until December.
“Even when we started 75 years ago, we needed 100 more troopers,” she said.
The General Assembly said state police could have more troopers but is unwilling to finance them. The legislature has authorized 2,004 troopers but is financing only 1,896 of those positions.
Recruitment staff have been touring Virginia this month. They were at Naval Station Norfolk on Wednesday and in Portsmouth on Thursday. But the only sworn positions available are through internal promotions, though some hiring for civilian positions is taking place, Geller said.
The recruiters might have committed to the events before the next state police academy class was moved from Oct. 25 to Feb. 25. The next class is now scheduled for April 25.
Geller said, “With having delayed the class twice, some of the original trooper applicants may have found other jobs, and we will need to fill those new vacancies.”
The next academy has been postponed twice for lack of money. Geller remains hopeful that the academy will be held in April.
“We are recognizing the fact that we need to hold a class because we cannot reinforce our ranks without new trooper classes,” she said.
“To cut further would definitely have an effect on our public safety for Virginians and the services we provide.”
STRAIN ON STATE POLICE
64,000: Number of miles of state roads and interstates that Virginia troopers have to patrol. The number of traffic crashes rose 15.7 percent from 1996 to 2006. There were 961 road deaths in 2006 and 1,012 in 2007.
579: Number of additional officers needed, according to a manpower study. Police say they need 334 additional troopers and 22 sergeants to provide 24-hour statewide road coverage.
$7.5 million: State police budget cuts for 2008-09 ordered by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine.
Copyright 2008 Daily Press