State Police Budget Stretched ‘Dangerously Thin’
Force Operating Nearly 250 Troopers Short Of Full Staff
7:59 am EDT May 8, 2009 / 8WGAL.com
HARRISBURG, Pa. — State troopers said they will be stretched to dangerous limits if more money isn’t set aside for public safety in the state budget.
The head of the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association [President Bruce Edwards,] said budget proposals from both Gov. Ed Rendell and the Senate Republicans do not set enough money aside to hire more troopers.
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Edwards said if more money isn’t added to the state police budget, response times could grow and investigations could suffer as troopers are pulled off duty to do other tasks and asked to do more with fewer resources.
As News 8 first reported in an On Your Side investigation, so far this year 19 municipalities have shut down their local police departments — many because of money trouble. Those areas now rely only on state police for protection.
