Down 227 positions, Virginia State Police are stretched thin

VIRGINIA BEACH

For eight hours, Virginia State Police Senior Trooper James Russo would stop people for speeding on Interstate 64, pull over for broken-down cars and zip to crashes.

He took an hour off, and then was back at work for another eight hours keeping watch on I-64 by Greenbrier Parkway in Chesapeake, where a state Department of Transportation crew painted lines on the road.

It’s a long day by anyone’s standards, but for Russo, it’s a way to boost his pay.

After years without raises and diminished overtime pay, picking up an extra shift or two is not uncommon for state troopers.

“It’s good to have overtime money,” said Russo, a 37-year-old father of two. “You sign up as fast as you can with no pay raises.”

Staffing shortages have plagued the department for years because troopers have retired or left. New troopers are just now beginning to trickle in after state police canceled all academies in 2009 for a savings of $250,000 a month. Only one academy was held in 2010. But there still aren’t enough troopers to fill the gaps.

The state police has 2,080 authorized sworn positions that range from troopers to special agents to supervisors, said spokeswoman Corinne Geller. Fifty-two of those positions are not funded by the General Assembly, but through grants and other special funds.

The agency is down 227 positions.

State police have other duties besides patrolling highways. They handle investigations, drug enforcement and monitor sex offenders.

“With the current shortages, and, of course, natural attrition, it’s probably going to be about 2013 before we can close that gap,” Geller said. “That’s just to stop the bleeding.”

For drivers, that translates to a reduced presence on the streets and fewer tickets issued.

“When morale goes, productivity falls down with it,” Russo said. “People have that feeling of not being treated well.

None of us signed up for this to become millionaires. However, a little care helps.”

There are 161 troopers and 31 supervisors assigned to Russo’s area, Division 5, which covers seven major cities and 14 counties from the Oceanfront past Emporia to Interstate 85, said Sgt. Michelle Anaya, a spokeswoman. There are 30 vacancies, she said.

While the number of troopers has stayed stagnant, the population has increased.

An internal state police survey of law enforcement agencies in 2008 found Virginia ranked 37th of 49 states in troopers per capita.

Russo said he was among 4,000 applicants to the academy in 1996; only 130 to 140 were accepted. Today, the pool has shrunk to 500, he said.

“It’s frustrating for a motorist to call us and we have nobody in that area to come help them,” Russo said.

The population isn’t all that’s grown.

Russo said since he’s worked in this area, Interstates 64 and 264 were widened and another interstate opened.

“There’s an enormous amount of added traffic and less people doing it,” he said.

But things are turning around.

On June 24, 62 new troopers graduated from the Virginia State Police Academy in Richmond. Another class started June 27 with 89 people. Not all will finish.

On July 1, $6 million kicked in to fully fund overtime pay, Geller said. Also, state employees received a 5 percent increase, which they are rolling over into their state retirement.

Before the state police received full funding for overtime pay, people were given compensation time for the first three hours after surpassing the 40-hour work week; overtime would kick in only if they worked 44 hours or more, Geller said.

Many people didn’t want to bail on their shift partners so they wouldn’t take the comp time, Geller said.

Some troopers are members of dive or tactical teams, further reducing the number on patrol. Court appearances also cut into time behind the wheel.

“A DUI call can tie you up for two, three hours,” Geller said. “A major traffic crash or fatality can take four hours.”

The crunch is felt at home, too, Russo said.

“You’re missing personal obligations due to not being able to get off,” said Russo, who grew up in Hampton Roads. “Sometimes, you miss a kid’s birthday party, things of that nature. It just doesn’t give you a good outlook.”

Russo, a veteran of nearly 15 years, patrols the Virginia Beach and Norfolk portions of Interstates 64, 264 and 564 in a navy blue and gray Ford Crown Victoria.

Pictures of his children and wife were tucked in the overhead light. On the floor in the back were the movies “Miami Vice” and “Heat.” A plastic file holder was in the back seat, along with a metal clipboard holding blank tickets.

The job isn’t exactly glamorous. People he’s placed under arrest have spit, urinated and vomited in his front seat. There is no cage for those in custody, so people sit next to him in the passenger side where he can watch them.

On a recent afternoon, he pulled up behind an overheated SUV on the shoulder of I-64. Russo told the driver where to get help. He also issued two tickets for people going more than 70 mph.

“You just have to try to keep a positive attitude,” he said. “You have to try to promote a positive attitude.”

Helping the driver whose car overheated was rewarding, Russo said. “You’re not ruining somebody’s day by writing a ticket,” he said.

He isn’t embittered. He tries to make the most of it. And, he said, this is the job he wanted because he likes helping people.

Russo used to drive a beer truck. When he decided he wanted to go to the academy, his parents weren’t thrilled, he said. His father, a retired dentist, and his mother, a retired nurse, have come to grips with it.

Just as Russo has come to grips with the added difficulties of the job.

“You deal with it,” he said. “You could be homeless. It could be a lot worse. It’s been a good career.”

Veronica Gonzalez, (757) 222-5208, veronica.gonzalez@pilotonline.com