The strong economy and incredibly low unemployment have made finding good candidates for nearly all positions difficult. Better pay may increase the pool of candidates to recruit for state troopers, but that is only one of the crucial factors potential employees are looking at. Fewer people across the nation seem to be going into law enforcement as a career. Pay could be part of the equation, but so are the hours and responsibilities, among others. The state troopers' voices blend in with the myriad of other voices requesting more pay for similar work, but the public has something to lose through inaction on this issue.
Fewer officers mean longer waiting times for everything from accident scenes to major crimes.
Officers become reactive to situations they are called on to attend to rather than proactively trying to stop wrongdoing. The Highway Patrol reported that 77 more officers are needed to get the department up to full employment. As a result of the staff shortages, only limited areas receive 24-hour coverage and 22 counties have no permanent trooper assigned at all. More funding will be required to help fully staff the agency, however that decision would further aggravate the same staffing problem occurring locally. The Ottawa Police Department will soon be down one entire shift, or four police officers short.