State troopers rally at Capitol for better pay

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- If the Missouri State Highway Patrol offered competitive salaries for veteran troopers, it would save taxpayers money in the long haul, said troopers who rallied Wednesday at the Capitol.

It costs $50,000 to train one trooper. That is meant to be a long-term investment. However, Sgt. Blaine Adams of Jackson, Mo., said that too often that investment never matures for the state.

"We train people and after they get trained they go to other agencies," Adams said. "It would be much more efficient to pay them a little more money -- pay us a better wage -- to keep the experienced officers."

According to the Missouri State Troopers Association, which organized Wednesday's rally, the patrol offers competitive salaries for first-year troopers and those at the top end of the pay scale. However, a 10-year patrol veteran earns $38,460 a year, which is $7,000 to $24,000 less than what six municipal police departments in Missouri pay officers with like experience.

The lure of better pay, said trooper Mark Winder of Jackson, is causing substantial turnover at the patrol, requiring training of new recruits.

More than 250 at rally

"In the long run, it costs money to keep recycling people," Winder said.

More than 250 troopers and their families were on hand to lobby lawmakers for improved funding for the patrol. Several patrol members from Troop E, which is based in Poplar Bluff, Mo., and serves most of Southeast Missouri, were among those in attendance.

Sgt. Larry W. Plunkett Jr. of Piedmont, Mo., said the troopers want to bring attention to their concerns, of which he said area lawmakers are well aware.

"As far as I know, we don't have any representatives in Southeast Missouri that are opposed to what we're trying to do," Plunkett said. "We just want to show them our support and let them know where we stand."

The patrol is one of the few state agencies that would see increased funding under Gov. Bob Holden's proposed budget. Holden has called for $177.8 million for fiscal year 2003, a $15 million increase over FY 2002's appropriation.

However, troopers, like most state employees, wouldn't get a pay raise for the second straight year under the proposed budget.

The troopers were just the latest segment of the state work force to descend on the Capitol this session to plead for better pay and improved overall funding.

Sgt. Tim Tinnin, president of the troopers group, said all state workers deserve higher salaries. but troopers deserve special consideration.

"Next time somebody tries to tell you to be quiet because all state employees work hard and deserve better pay, perhaps you should ask them who is most likely to die alone on the side of a highway at the hands of a drunk driver," Tinnin said. "We are different, and we deserve to be treated differently."

Because of the state's budget problems, Plunkett admitted that securing improved pay for troopers might not happen this year. However, he said troopers will continue the fight.

mpowers@semissourian.com

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