Study: More troopers needed State police responsibilities up

AUGUSTA – An internal Maine State Police study done last year concludes that the force is being asked to do more with nearly the same number of officers as there were 20 years ago and that many policing efforts are suffering as a result.

“It was definitely an eye-opener,” said Col. Pat Fleming, chief of the state police. “I had known we needed help out there, but this lays it all out.”

Fleming’s predecessor, Craig Poulin, had the study done to show what the increasing responsibilities of the state police were doing to its ability to respond to criminal activity, as well as to its traditional role in traffic enforcement. The study found that a combination of factors has resulted in a reduction of nearly 29 percent in personnel available to respond to calls.

“There are not enough troopers to cover all the shifts that are open because of all the other responsibilities we have undertaken over the years,” Fleming said. “We’re trying to keep up with it, but I think at this point it is a losing battle.”

The study points to several factors that combine to reduce the ability of the state police to respond to calls. For example, there was no E-911 system in place statewide 20 years ago. In 2005, troopers responded to 2,948 hang-up calls to the system, up 38 percent from 2004.

In addition, “there has been a tremendous increase in mandatory training programs,” Fleming said. “That also takes troopers off the roads and away from investigations.”

The study found there has been a 338 percent increase in the amount of time that must be committed to additional training for troopers, and that is estimated to be the equivalent of 14 trooper positions.

The state police share with the county sheriffs the responsibility for law enforcement in areas of the state without organized police departments. While the number of calls has increased by 79 percent, the number of troopers available to respond is down by 29 percent.

“There are a lot of cooperative efforts under way,” Fleming said, “but that has not made up for having fewer troopers available.”

The study indicates that while the authorized trooper strength has increased to only 341 from 335 two decades ago, Maine’s population is up 16 percent, there has been a 20 percent increase in licensed drivers and a 92 percent increase in registered motor vehicles.

The study also points to the increased complexity of many criminal investigations, the creation of a computer crimes unit and the increased demands of homeland security as areas that have reduced the number of troopers available to respond to everything from accidents to domestic violence reports.

Fleming said troopers are being forced to work shifts that cannot be filled through troopers volunteering. In 2005, there were 240 times when troopers were told they must work.

Public Safety Commissioner Anne Jordan said the state police’s staffing problems are compounded by funding issues. A study by the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability released earlier this year concluded that the current apportionment of state police funding between the state’s General Fund and the Highway Fund is wrong and that the Highway Fund is paying too much.

The Highway Fund now pays for about 65 percent of the state police budget and the administrative costs of the Department of Public Safety. The study pegged the Highway Fund’s responsibility at no more than 34 percent of the budget.

“We are talking about shifting millions of dollars from one to the other,” Jordan said. “What that number should be is up to the Legislature and will affect everything we do.”

She said what is needed in the department is far more than what is realistic. She would like 40 more troopers immediately, as well as more staff in the State Fire Marshal’s Office and more officers for the Capitol Security Bureau. But, she noted, the mood is less spending, not more.

“The big-picture question is what are the services we can offer, and what are the people of Maine demanding of us,” she said, “and is it time for us to stand back and say we will offer XYZ service, but not ABC.”

Fleming said the state police do not expect a major increase in troopers all at once. He is hoping the governor and Legislature will adopt a plan to “incrementally” increase the number of state police.

Both Fleming and Jordan agreed cooperative efforts among the state police, sheriffs and local police are essential and need to be expanded.

But the study concludes the status quo is not an option.

“In summary, the Maine State Police is beyond the point where additional personnel are needed to safely and effectively meet the present demands as well as those of the future,” it concludes.