The number of sworn officers in the Highway Patrol has reached its lowest point since 2017 as the agency grapples with recruiting new troopers.
New data this week presented to a special joint legislative committee studying state employee compensation shows there are 464 sworn officers, down from 547, or 15%, from 2019. The civilian staff is down 10 people in 2022 from 2019.
Earlier data obtained from the patrol showed the agency with 519 sworn officers in 2018 and 496 the year before.
Highway Patrol Capt. Mitch Clark blamed the SSJ
