Public Safety outlines staffing gains, equipment refresh and concerns about communications governance
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Summary
The Department of Public Safety (DPS) updated the committee on trooper staffing improvements, planned radio and firearm replacement cycles, obstacles to adopting electric cruisers, and disagreement with a task force governance recommendation for public safety communications funded under Act 78.
Commissioner Jennifer Morrison and DPS leadership briefed the Appropriations Committee on the department's FY27 priorities, reporting modest improvements in state police staffing but persistent operational pressures and equipment needs.
State Police staffing: DPS and State Police representatives said the agency now has 323 sworn positions and 44 current vacancies, with 12 recruits in the academy who are not yet deployable. Officials noted the training and post-basic phases can make a hire effectively take eight months to reach full operational capacity, meaning the nominal vacancy picture understates near-term shortfalls. "We have 323 sworn positions... we've got 44 vacancies right now," a State Police representative said, adding that the effective shortfall is closer to 56 when academy trainees are included.
Communications and governance: On the public safety communications task force, Morrison summarized the task force report and how Act 78 set aside $11 million for the work. She said roughly $4.5 million was envisioned for near-term task force activities and pilots and that about $6.5 million remains in reserve. DPS stated it disagrees with the task force recommendation to create a parallel contracting board; instead, DPS urged either the existing 911 board or a DPS division to hold governance and accountability for outcomes rather than an ad hoc volunteer board.
Radios, firearms and replacement funding: DPS described a multi-year equipment-replacement approach. The radio replacement plan places $500,000 annually into a special fund to support a full-refresh cycle roughly every 10 years; officials noted a federal grant of about $2 million for FY26 targeted to state police radios could enable a full refresh in late FY27 or early FY28. Firearms replacement was budgeted within equipment replacement funds, and a prior $400,000 addition to the budget was cited as helpful. DPS staff emphasized the value of buying whole-system refreshes for radios and firearms rather than piecemeal upgrades.
EVs and fleet issues: Committee members asked about electric vehicles for troopers. DPS said take-home cruisers and the lack of rural charging infrastructure present significant operational barriers and reliability concerns for special teams; hybrids were used for command vehicles but full EV adoption is not practical statewide at present.
Emergency management grants: Emergency management staff said two federal grant streams that fund about half their staffing (EMPG and Homeland Security grants) were held up by federal conditions and litigation; staff reported draws had been delayed and that the hold threatened near-term payroll for emergency management if funds are not released.
Fire safety and special funds: Fire Safety staff described special funds that cover inspections, hazardous chemicals and elevator safety, and noted statutory fee caps (for example, a $250 cap on certain elevator inspection fees) that limit private vendor participation and may eventually require rulemaking.
The committee asked for additional trend charts, comparisons and written materials in several areas. DPS staff said they will provide the requested detail.
