Kentucky State Police struggle with trooper shortage
By Kat Russell, Reporter
The Paducah Sun
January 26, 2016
http://www.paducahsun.com/news/local/kentucky-state-police-struggle-with-trooper-shortage/article_0d79272e-5afe-11e7-a9b2-10604b9f0f42.html
Falling recruitment and annual retirements continue to stretch the Kentucky State Police, which has struggled for the past several years to increase its manpower numbers.
Last year, the agency was about 150 troopers short of the 1,075 officers it is allowed. This year, spokesperson Sgt. Michael Webb said the agency's numbers are even lower.
"Manpower is a significant issue for us every year," Webb said. "Right now we have about 870 troopers. The thing is only about 450 of those are actual road troopers, in a uniform, in a cruiser and taking calls because we have so many other functions ... that require us to have sworn personnel manning them."
Those other functions include manning special response teams, as well as K-9 and detectives units, overseeing the agency's records branch (which includes issuing concealed carry permits and maintaining the sex offender registry), providing technological support services to the state's other law enforcement agencies and running the KSP forensics labs.
"We have many mandates to be the lead law enforcement agency in several areas, and we have large responsibilities that are really unparalleled to any other agency in the state," he said.
Webb said many factors contribute to the agency's manpower issue, but the biggest is retirements, which average about 50 per year.
"When you think about it, a lot of these folks, they're not getting any pay raises and there's not any change in their benefit status when they hit 20 years. They've hit the opportunity to retire, and if they stay around longer, it's not really benefiting ... so we're losing all that experience, all that training, all that knowledge that's of real value to us."
However, some of those retirees do return to the agency as a "Trooper-Rs," Webb said, which is a program that allows retired troopers to work as road troopers.
"They have a very specific, narrowed job scope," Webb said. "They have to be a road trooper. They can't be a detective, they can't be a supervisor, they can't work in a non-operational capacity. They have to be out there in a uniform, in a cruiser, taking calls and working the county."
Currently, Webb said, about 30 retired troopers are working across the state.
Retirements aren't the only challenge. For the past several years, recruitment numbers also have declined.
Webb said the agency tries to run a cadet class every year to at least offset the loss of retirees, but all that really does is "stop the bleeding."
Each cadet class, Webb said, averages about 60 to 80 trainees, 35 percent of whom don't make it through the 23-week course.
"Recruitment is certainly a challenge, because we still have to maintain a high standard of who we will seek and train to be a Kentucky state trooper," he said. "The thing is, in today's culture, it's getting harder and harder to hire people who have a clean background, who have no history of drug usage and have no history of criminal activity.
"Plus, you can't discount the fact that we are struggling in our incentives - mainly financially - to entice someone to become a trooper," Webb added. "Now, nobody who joins law enforcement, especially the state police, is looking for the money ... but they certainly have to be able to take care of their families."
According to the agency website, the starting salary for new academy graduates is just over $37,800 annually, which Webb said is lower than the pay offered in several surrounding states and by some local agencies.
"I think we are significantly down in the ranking of police departments in the state of Kentucky for pay, which is unfortunate," Webb said. "We crank out such a high product of professionalism and have a strong reputation because we have such good training, yet the pay is an issue when it comes to recruitment."
Whether it be declines in recruitment, another wave of retirements, or the occasional disciplinary termination, Webb said every loss is felt and stretches the agency that much more.
"If we could just get to that (allotment of 1,075 troopers), that would be amazing," he said. "The state police has always made do with less. We have always found a way to leverage everything that we have so that citizens do not notice any interruption in the service the state police provides. With that said, to not have to constantly bend over backwards to make things work would be great."
Contact Kat Russell, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8653.
Last year, the agency was about 150 troopers short of the 1,075 officers it is allowed. This year, spokesperson Sgt. Michael Webb said the agency's numbers are even lower.
"Manpower is a significant issue for us every year," Webb said. "Right now we have about 870 troopers. The thing is only about 450 of those are actual road troopers, in a uniform, in a cruiser and taking calls because we have so many other functions ... that require us to have sworn personnel manning them."
Those other functions include manning special response teams, as well as K-9 and detectives units, overseeing the agency's records branch (which includes issuing concealed carry permits and maintaining the sex offender registry), providing technological support services to the state's other law enforcement agencies and running the KSP forensics labs.
"We have many mandates to be the lead law enforcement agency in several areas, and we have large responsibilities that are really unparalleled to any other agency in the state," he said.
Webb said many factors contribute to the agency's manpower issue, but the biggest is retirements, which average about 50 per year.
"When you think about it, a lot of these folks, they're not getting any pay raises and there's not any change in their benefit status when they hit 20 years. They've hit the opportunity to retire, and if they stay around longer, it's not really benefiting ... so we're losing all that experience, all that training, all that knowledge that's of real value to us."
However, some of those retirees do return to the agency as a "Trooper-Rs," Webb said, which is a program that allows retired troopers to work as road troopers.
"They have a very specific, narrowed job scope," Webb said. "They have to be a road trooper. They can't be a detective, they can't be a supervisor, they can't work in a non-operational capacity. They have to be out there in a uniform, in a cruiser, taking calls and working the county."
Currently, Webb said, about 30 retired troopers are working across the state.
Retirements aren't the only challenge. For the past several years, recruitment numbers also have declined.
Webb said the agency tries to run a cadet class every year to at least offset the loss of retirees, but all that really does is "stop the bleeding."
Each cadet class, Webb said, averages about 60 to 80 trainees, 35 percent of whom don't make it through the 23-week course.
"Recruitment is certainly a challenge, because we still have to maintain a high standard of who we will seek and train to be a Kentucky state trooper," he said. "The thing is, in today's culture, it's getting harder and harder to hire people who have a clean background, who have no history of drug usage and have no history of criminal activity.
"Plus, you can't discount the fact that we are struggling in our incentives - mainly financially - to entice someone to become a trooper," Webb added. "Now, nobody who joins law enforcement, especially the state police, is looking for the money ... but they certainly have to be able to take care of their families."
According to the agency website, the starting salary for new academy graduates is just over $37,800 annually, which Webb said is lower than the pay offered in several surrounding states and by some local agencies.
"I think we are significantly down in the ranking of police departments in the state of Kentucky for pay, which is unfortunate," Webb said. "We crank out such a high product of professionalism and have a strong reputation because we have such good training, yet the pay is an issue when it comes to recruitment."
Whether it be declines in recruitment, another wave of retirements, or the occasional disciplinary termination, Webb said every loss is felt and stretches the agency that much more.
"If we could just get to that (allotment of 1,075 troopers), that would be amazing," he said. "The state police has always made do with less. We have always found a way to leverage everything that we have so that citizens do not notice any interruption in the service the state police provides. With that said, to not have to constantly bend over backwards to make things work would be great."
Contact Kat Russell, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8653.