Idaho State Police details staffing shortfalls, fentanyl and forensics funding requests

The Idaho State Police (ISP) presented its FY2026 budget request to the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee on Feb. 12, describing multiple enhancement requests, workload increases and persistent staffing shortages—particularly in northern Idaho.

Noah Peterson, budget policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, walked the committee through ISP’s division overview, funds and proposed enhancements. Peterson said the division has 583.67 full-time equivalents (FTP) and reported 38.67 positions vacant as of August, with an average five-year fill rate of 92.5%.

Peterson and Director Colonel Bill Gardner highlighted several items in ISP’s FY2026 request. Key ongoing and one-time items presented included: - A fentanyl-focused unit: an enhancement adding 10 FTP and $1,043,300 to target fentanyl trafficking and mitigation. Peterson identified the request as a priority enhancement. - Forensic staffing and facilities: a request for a deputy forensic lab manager (1 FTP, $118,200) to help manage an expanding forensic services program and a new Meridian forensic laboratory; Peterson said forensics is also converting temporary contractors to full-time roles. Gardner said the Meridian lab will be a “top of the line” facility to consolidate staff and equipment and add room for growth. - Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SACI) investigators: ISP proposed converting contractor investigators into employees so they can obtain POST certification; Peterson described a net-zero transfer of approximately $402,100 from operating to personnel and a plan to hire two permanent positions rather than part-time contractors. - A requested transfer tied to highway distribution changes (HDA fund shift): Peterson said a request would transfer $4,995,500 and 37.48 FTP in FY2026 to allow patrol operations to maintain current levels after statutory fund reductions enacted by Senate Bill 1201 (2019) phase out HDA distributions to the Law Enforcement Fund. - Other items: requests included a special investigations unit for Idaho Department of Correction facilities (4 FTP, $757,300 total—$443,300 ongoing and $314,000 one-time), fleet-service position conversions (2 FTP), an ILETS disaster-recovery site ($233,000 ongoing), digital-forensics program transfer (2 FTP, net-zero), a federal-funds appropriation shift ($659,700), a $50,000 request to address SORNA (Adam Walsh Act) compliance, and replacement and IT items totaling several million dollars.

Peterson noted that FY2023 included $26 million in one-time appropriations (enhancements and supplementals) and that some of that spending carried into later years through reappropriations and unliquidated purchase orders.

Governor’s recommendations and grant funding Lori Wolf, administrator for the Division of Financial Management, clarified the governor’s recommendation of a $500,000 one-time Millennium Fund appropriation for a “fentanyl takes all” public communications campaign; she said the governor recommended the amount as a one-time operating expense and that the Millennium Fund committee would review it.

Colonel Gardner, who introduced members of his leadership team, described operational impacts of staffing shortfalls and recent enforcement results. He said ISP’s dedicated drug-interdiction team has seized “over 65,000 fentanyl pills, over a full pound of fentanyl powder, [and] 150 pounds of methamphetamine” during the last year, and reported another recent seizure of 50 pounds of methamphetamine. He described vacancy and retention challenges, particularly in northern Idaho where he said some positions receive no applications.

Recruitment, pay and requested authorities Lawmakers pressed Gardner on retention and pay. Gardner described pay differentials that he said have driven troopers to city and county agencies and other states and said recruiting in some northern counties has “literally” produced no applicants. He told the committee the agency needs to become more competitive to stem turnover; he said ISP is working on a plan and asked the legislature for continued support, including the committee-approved 8% trooper pay increase (CEC) included in recent budget actions.

Representative Manwaring asked about financial-investigation tools; Gardner suggested administrative subpoena power narrowly limited to financial information in drug and human-trafficking cases to improve investigators’ ability to follow funds.

Forensics lab construction and capabilities Gardner described two separate projects: a new, full-service forensic laboratory in Meridian (new construction) and a smaller laboratory renovation/addition in Twin Falls for drug identification work. Peterson and Gardner deferred schedule specifics and some technical lab questions to staff, with commitments to provide further information to the committee.

Grants, federal funds and accounting questions Committee members asked about the timing and accounting for federal grants, especially funds tied to the SACI work. Peterson and Christine Otto, ISP chief financial officer, said the agency is spending federal funds but will follow up with detailed accounting to reconcile some unusual year-to-year estimates and billing timing.

No formal committee votes were recorded on ISP’s requests during the hearing. Committee members and agency leaders said they would continue follow-up discussions on staffing, funding transfers, grant accounting and lab timelines.