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Published on Thursday, December 18, 2003
in the Capitol News Service
The Florida Highway Patrol hopes the state’s roads will be a little safer with the graduation of 34 new troopers today. The recruits took their oaths and received their badges in a ceremony in Tallahassee. They’ll be stationed in patrols all over the state. F-H-P has been short-staffed for years and is down about 200 troopers right now, in part because of the retirement of dozens of veterans earlier this year. F-H-P is pushing for a pay raise in the spring to help with recruitment. Lieutenant Governor Toni Jennings says she’ll do what she can.
"Recruitment is always a challenge because you are competing with your local law enforcement agencies as well, as we go forward we try to make sure that there is the right kind of progression as they move along in the ranks, but it always is a challenge so we just continue to say the Florida Highway Patrol is the best and the brightest and our commitment is to them,” says Jennings.
Chief Ken Howes with the Fla. Highway Patrol says "The problems we are experiencing is losing veteran troopers to other law enforcement agencies who pay them more. Governor Jennings and Governor Bush will hopefully try to help us with that issue this coming legislative session to try and fix that problem."
Starting salary for a Florida Highway Patrol trooper is 31-thousand 500 dollars a year. With the exception of “cost of living” adjustments, troopers haven’t had a raise in four years.