Newest Troopers Still Don`t Fill Manpower Shortage

Arkansas State Police will soon get a needed boost in manpower. The ASP graduated a new class of recruits Saturday morning, but it`s still not enough to fill the void. Nineteen graduated this morning, but the state still has over 100 vacancies. The new officers just completed a six-month training program, the longest in ASP history, just to make sure the troopers are the best of the state`s finest. But eight of the finest are scheduled to retire from the force this year. The director, Col. Don Melton, says they`re having a hard time getting troopers recruited, trained and into the field fast enough to keep up with that attrition. He says the shortage can impact highways with higher rates. "And that`s a big part of the reason for that. To prevent accidents we need to be visible. People don`t do dumb, dangerous stuff when they see a trooper," Melton said. The problem with not having enough troopers used to be because of budget cuts. They haven`t had a recruit school in three years, when they should have been having them once or twice a year. Now with funding back in place, they`re having to play catch up. Another class is scheduled to begin in May. ASP is hoping to gain 50 troopers out of that one. Meanwhile, today`s grads head to their assignments in different counties March 8th.