{"id":2572,"date":"2026-06-24T13:04:30","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T13:04:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=2572"},"modified":"2026-06-24T13:04:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T13:04:30","slug":"overnight-trooper-coverage-still-thin-across-arizona-despite-new-state-funding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=2572","title":{"rendered":"Overnight trooper coverage still thin across Arizona despite new state funding"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PHOENIX (AZFamily)<\/b> \u2014 Arizona\u2019s new state budget includes additional money for the Department of Public Safety. Still, troopers say it does not solve one of the agency\u2019s biggest problems: a shortage of personnel on the road.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018Still in shock\u2019: Casa Grande feels impact after Lucid Motors layoffs<\/a><\/p>\n

The Arizona State Troopers Association said DPS covers all 15 counties, but in many parts of the state, overnight trooper coverage remains limited.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means increased response times, the inability to respond when we should,\u201d said Jeff Hawkins, who leads the Arizona State Troopers Association.<\/p>\n

Hawkins said DPS has hundreds of vacancies. He said in the Phoenix metropolitan area, troopers\u2019 work is nonstop.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have over 400 vacancies,\u201d Hawkins said. \u201cSo it\u2019s just here in the Metropolitan Phoenix. It\u2019s call after call after call. And that weighs on after a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

Budget includes new DPS funding<\/h2>\n

DPS will be able to hire more people through an additional $4.75 million grant.<\/p>\n

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs also signed an $18.3 billion state budget for 2027 this month.<\/p>\n

Hawkins said the funding does not fully account for DPS needs, but the total amount is about $480 million.<\/p>\n

The budget includes $15 million for vehicle replacements, funding for employee mental health services and money to continue traffic enforcement efforts that DPS says have helped reduce deadly crashes.<\/p>\n

Read more Unlikely heroes rush to battle Kay Fire near Cave Creek<\/a><\/p>\n

Union says more planning is needed<\/h2>\n

Hawkins said more needs to be done, including a longer-term plan for DPS staffing and coverage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need a three-, six- or nine-year plan to try to get us to the point where we\u2019re more effective and that the citizens are better protected,\u201d Hawkins said.<\/p>\n

Hawkins said that includes funding to replace an aging DPS helicopter and a second helicopter involved in a crash that killed two Aviation Bureau members earlier this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cA little disappointed it wasn\u2019t funded this year,\u201d Hawkins said. \u201cFor our rural partners, they only have us to call upon if they need search and rescue issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hawkins said expanding coverage remains one of DPS\u2019s top priorities.<\/p>\n

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? <\/i>Please click here to report it<\/i>.<\/i><\/p>\n

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send <\/i>it to us here<\/i> with a brief description.<\/i><\/p>\n

Read more Extreme Heat Warning again, for Tucson and surrounding areas<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Arizona State Troopers Association said DPS covers all 15 counties, but in many parts of the state, overnight trooper coverage remains limited.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2571,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nOvernight trooper coverage still thin across Arizona despite new state funding - Tucson Moving Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=2572\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Overnight trooper coverage still thin across Arizona despite new state funding - 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