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Rafferty Supports Effort to Increase Pennsylvania
State Police Complement
HARRISBURG -- Senator
John Rafferty (R-44) today joined legislators and law enforcement officers in
urging Gov. Edward G. Rendell to provide more state funding in the upcoming
budget to increase the number of state troopers in Pennsylvania.
Rafferty, who serves on the Senate Law and Justice
Committee, said he will push to add 90 more troopers this year and 180 more over
the next two years. He noted that the additional positions would cost the state
$3.6 million in each of the next three years.
“There are simply too many challenges our state
police face for us to not give them more help,” Rafferty said at a news
conference today at the state capitol. “ Even if we don’t lose a single trooper
to retirement or military duty, we are still asking 4,200 troopers to patrol
44,000 miles of highway in addition to investigating crimes such as homicides,
illegal drugs, Internet and computer crime, and domestic violence, to name just
a very few.”
He also noted that many local municipalities are
eliminating or cutting back their police departments because of budget
difficulties. As a result, the state police must step in and take over law
enforcement duties.
“Public safety should be our top priority – we need
to keep our highways and communities safe and secure,” Rafferty said. “As we
work to craft a state budget for the coming year, I will fight to make sure that
we keep that commitment to the people of this state.”
In 2001, state lawmakers approved legislation to
increase the state police complement by 370 troopers. Funding has consistently
been provided for 100 of those positions. To fill the complement, the
Pennsylvania State Troopers Association is calling on Gov. Rendell to provide
funding for 90 positions a year over the next three years – a move that Rafferty
strongly supports.
He noted that Pennsylvania currently ranks last in
the number of full-time state and local law enforcement personnel per 100,000
residents, when compared to states of similar size.
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