Safety officials highlight trooper growth, statewide radio network and school safety investments

Commissioner Long opened the Safety and Homeland Security portion of the hearing by crediting recent legislative funding for expanding trooper positions and building an interoperable radio network. "We do not receive any COVID funds," Long said, clarifying departmental funding sources, and added that 624 state trooper positions and 127 homeland security agent positions were provided by recent appropriations.

Long described the Tennessee Advanced Communications Network and the buildout contract with Motorola. "We have 78,466 users making up 167 agencies so far," the commissioner said, and noted the state negotiated to shorten the buildout from eight years to four while locking pricing at current levels. He said the state reappropriated roughly 2,000 radios to distressed counties.

Colonel Matt Perry, Tennessee Highway Patrol, discussed staffing and enforcement effects: THP has grown to about 1,340 troopers and uses national formulas that suggest a minimum of about 1,600 troopers to meet projected travel and workload. Perry credited added personnel and targeted incentives for improved enforcement in Shelby County and said traffic fatality trends look favorable if current rates hold.

Committee members pressed on school resource officer funding and digital driver's license safeguards; staff said SRO uptake varies locally and the digital license program is voluntary and restricted (not acceptable for voting), with contractual privacy protections and explicit bans on geolocation and biometric capture beyond the initial photo verification.