Oregon State Police took a hit from the reorganization of state funding in the 1990s.
The numbers of troopers on patrol dropped steadily for years, then appeared to be on a rebound... when the Great Recession hit. There are still fewer troopers than allowed in the budget, and the shortage can lead to slow response times to calls, especially in rural areas.
We get an overview of the issue of hiring for OSP and other police agencies from Lt. Bill Fugate, a public information officer for OSP.
