May 19, 2013
State Public Safety Director Mike Coppage says his department is looking at a 10 percent budget cut if Gov. Riley's tax plan fails Tuesday.
Coppage says his department would have to cut its new state trooper training class in half, eliminate many cell phones and pagers for state troopers, restrict overtime for emergencies, and institute a hiring freeze.
Coppage says Alabama already has fewer state troopers than any surrounding state. There are only six troopers on Alabama highways between midnight and 6 a.m. on the best night. The number is sometimes smaller because one of those troopers has to shift to day duty to appear in a court case.
