Idaho State Police seeks funds for fentanyl unit, forensics and retention as staffing shortfalls persist

The Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee heard a detailed budget review from the Idaho State Police on Wednesday, as agency analysts and Director Colonel Bill Gardner described enhancement requests to expand fentanyl enforcement, bolster forensic capacity and shore up retention amid persistent vacancies.

Noah Peterson, budget policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, summarized the division’s structure and the highest‑priority requests for FY2026. The division that houses Idaho State Police has 583.67 FTP allocated and reported about 38.67 vacancies, Peterson said. The agency’s spending pattern included $26 million in one‑time appropriations in FY2023 and a $15.8 million reappropriation into FY2024 tied to replacement items, COVID related supplemental funding and fentanyl response work.

Peterson outlined the larger FY2026 enhancement requests, including a 10‑FTP, $1,043,300 fentanyl unit; conversion of contract forensic staff to full‑time positions; a special investigations unit assigned to Department of Correction facilities (4 FTP, $757,300); a forensic deputy lab manager (1 FTP, $118,200); and an estimated $168,100 fiscal impact of proposed DNA‑collection legislation expanding collection to certain misdemeanors. Peterson also described a requested transfer related to the highway distribution…