Idaho State Police lays out FY2026 requests: fentanyl unit, forensic lab expansion, housing and staffing concerns

The Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee heard Feb. 12 from the Idaho State Police on its FY2026 budget requests and related operational issues, with agency leaders seeking funding for a fentanyl‑focused enforcement unit, additional forensic staffing, disaster recovery for law‑enforcement IT, and continued support to address recruitment and retention shortfalls.

"This enhancement added 10 FTP and $1,043,300 to create a unit with a focus on fentanyl trafficking and mitigation," budget policy analyst Noah Peterson said when summarizing an enhancement request. Peterson described a package of requests the agency submitted, including personnel conversions, a forensic deputy lab manager, and a proposed transfer tied to a statutory change that will reduce future HDA (Highway Distribution Account) distributions to the law enforcement fund.

Idaho State Police Director Colonel Bill Gardner testified on operational results and staffing needs. Gardner told the committee the state's full‑time drug interdiction team has recently seized "over 65,000 fentanyl pills, over a full pound of fentanyl powder, [and] 150 pounds of methamphetamine," and described additional large seizures in recent operations. He said the agency is pursuing a mix of one‑time and ongoing requests to sustain operations and reduce backlogs in vehicle upfitting, laboratory capacity and…