Idaho State Police outline staffing increases, fund shifts and lab expansion in FY2026 budget review

The Idaho State Police (ISP) told the Joint Finance and Appropriations Committee on Feb. 12 that it needs new personnel, reallocated funds and continued equipment and facility investments to sustain core operations and respond to fentanyl and other drug threats.

Noah Peterson, budget policy analyst with the Legislative Services Office, summarized ISP’s FY2026 requests and highlighted a proposed $4,995,500 transfer and a reduction of 37.48 FTP tied to the highway distribution account (HDA) fund shift that stems from changes in Senate Bill 1201 (2019). "If this shift is to be approved, this would allow the patrol program to maintain current operations," Peterson said.

Peterson described multiple enhancement requests that the agency included for FY2026: two fleet-service FTPs to handle vehicle upfitting; a four-person special investigations unit assigned to Department of Correction facilities (including one detective sergeant and three detectives) at $757,300 total (of which $443,300 is ongoing and $314,000 is one-time for vehicles and computers); a forensic deputy lab manager at $118,200; and funding to cover the estimated fiscal impact of proposed DNA-collection legislation ($168,100, based on 1,681 samples at $100 each).

The agency also requested converting contracted digital-forensics staff to permanent positions, funding for two investigators to work the sexual-assault-kit initiative (SACI), and $233,000 ongoing for an Idaho law enforcement telecommunications fund (ILETS) disaster-recovery database. Forensic and SACI staffing moves were presented as personnel transfers or conversions intended to allow investigators to obtain POST certification and perform duties that contractors could not.

Colonel Bill Gardner, ISP director, described operational pressures that underpin the requests. Gardner said ISP has 583.67 FTP and reported roughly 38.67 vacancies as of last August and a long-term average fill rate of 92.5%. "We... seized over 65,000 fentanyl pills, over a pound of fentanyl powder, [and] 150 pounds of methamphetamine from this specific team," Gardner said when describing interdiction operations. He told the committee that some patrol districts, particularly in northern Idaho, have been "decimated" by departures and that the agency is losing troopers to cities and other states.

On recruitment and retention, Gardner urged ongoing attention to pay and retention strategies, saying troopers are leaving for larger pay elsewhere. Christine Otto, ISP’s chief financial officer, explained that converting some investigators from contractor status to full-time employees is not intended to increase overall spending significantly but to provide those staff with certification and privileges they could not obtain as contractors.

Peterson and Gardner also discussed infrastructure and forensic capacity. Peterson noted a large five-year variance in one-time appropriations tied to pandemic- and fentanyl-related spending, and he listed replacement-item requests (vehicles, body armor, IT servers, laptops and other equipment). Gardner said ISP is building a new, larger forensic laboratory in Meridian and renovating space in Twin Falls for a regional lab focused on drug identification; the Meridian facility will consolidate equipment and staff from an older lab.

The governor’s recommendations included a one-time $500,000 Millennium Fund operating appropriation for a fentanyl public-education campaign; DFM clarified that the governor’s recommendation for that item is one-time rather than ongoing. The governor also recommended moving 16 FTP to the Office of Information Technology Services (OITS) for IT modernization (the agency originally requested moving 20 FTP); that change affects a net operating cost related to centralizing IT functions.

Committee members asked for follow-up details on the OITS modernization (which positions would remain in ISP), the balance and timing of federal grants tied to SACI, and the construction schedule for the Meridian forensic lab. Peterson and Colonel Gardner agreed to provide additional detail to legislators. Several legislators flagged concern about turnover and pay competitiveness, and one member said she will bring a plan to the committee to address trooper pay beyond the governor’s recommendation.

No formal committee actions (motions or roll-call votes) on ISP’s FY2026 requests were taken during this review; committee discussion will continue as the appropriations process proceeds.

Key funding and personnel details presented to the committee: - ISP FTP: 583.67 allocated; ~38.67 vacancies (reported as of last August). - Requested HDA fund shift: $4,995,500 and 37.48 FTP to maintain patrol operations if the highway distribution account transfers phase out per prior law changes (Senate Bill 1201 of 2019). - Special Investigations Unit (IDOC facilities): 4 FTP; $757,300 total (ongoing $443,300; one-time $314,000 for vehicles/computers). - Fentanyl-focused interdiction enhancement: prior years added 10 FTP and $1,043,300 to create a unit; seizure figures cited by the director. - Ocean of replacement-item requests for FY2026: $5,090,700 (replacement items including vehicles, body armor, firearms) and IT replacements ($942,800 requested; broken down following OITS guidance). - Governor’s recommended one-time Millennium Fund appropriation: $500,000 for a fentanyl public-education campaign (communication costs), recommended as one-time via the Millennium Fund process.

The committee asked the agency and budget staff to return with specific clarifications on IT position transfers to OITS, federal grant expenditure timing, and the forensic lab construction schedule.