Idaho State Police present FY26 budget requests, highlight fentanyl unit, lab expansion and staffing shortfalls

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Feb. 12 heard the Idaho State Police budget review, during which agency leadership described enhancement requests for fiscal 2026 that aim to expand fentanyl interdiction, forensic capacity and investigators while warning the Legislature that vacancies and pay disparities are hurting coverage in parts of the state.

Noah Peterson, budget policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, presented the division overview and said the Division of Idaho State Police has roughly 583.67 full-time equivalent positions and is organized into seven budgeted programs including patrol, investigations and forensic services. He summarized three major dedicated funds (Project Choice Fund, Drug Enforcement Donation Fund, and the Idaho Law Enforcement Telecommunications Fund) and described a spike in 2023 one-time appropriations that carried through 2024 and affected estimated expenditures.

Peterson listed the agency’s FY26 enhancement requests: a 10-FTE fentanyl mitigation unit with $1,043,300; conversion of temporary forensic contractors to full-time roles; a forensic and dispatcher retention pay increase; two fleet service positions (2 FTE, net $63,300) to reduce contracting costs and clear an upfitting backlog; a four-person special investigations unit dedicated to Idaho Department of Correction facility…