Idaho State Police Association wants pay raise for troopers, citing living costs
Members of the Idaho State Police Association say they’re struggling with increasing calls for service and want the agency to raise state troopers’ pay.
In an Oct. 20 letter to Gov. Brad Little and state legislators, the association’s board requested better compensation for employees. A rise in demand and workforce shortages have challenged ISP workers, the letter said, as the state sees an increase in calls to service.
“Current employees are experiencing low morale, financial hardship and increased workload due to Idaho’s rapid population growth,” the letter stated. “Recruiting quality employees is difficult with the current pay scale and the extreme rise in the cost of living.”
Members of the association, a nonprofit corporation that advocates and fund-raises for its members, include ISP sworn officers and civilian employees. The ISPA board didn’t respond to requests for further comment.
The letter cited problems with recruitment and retention efforts due to a lack of affordable housing and pay that’s below the national average, “forcing loyal veteran employees to leave ISP to cover the cost of living” for their families. The annual salary for new troopers in Idaho, according to the association, falls below that of Wyoming, Washington and Oregon.
ISP has 18 vacancies among commissioned members, including state troopers, and 20 vacancies for non-commissioned positions, according to ISP. ISP currently employs 316 commissioned employees, which include troopers and higher-level positions. Pay ranges for state troopers are between $22.81 and $39.93 an hour.
Meanwhile, emergency calls to state police have spiked this year, according to ISP. The agency said employees in the Meridian-based Regional Communications Center South are averaging 35 overtime hours in a four-week period.
Calls for service into state police dispatch centers have remained relatively the same since last year, according to ISP, at just over 4,000 calls a week. However, emergency calls being transferred to state police already rose by 14% compared with last year.
A 911 call first comes into an Idaho city or county dispatch center and can get rerouted to one of ISP’s two regional dispatch centers if needed. ISP has totaled 16,665 911 transfer calls so far. Last year ISP totaled 14,579 transfer calls, according to the agency.
“There is no doubt calls for service are increasing, and cost of living, while disparate between regions, certainly impacts all employees,” state police spokesperson Lynn Hightower said. “ISP is not alone in these issues. With other state agencies, ISP is working with the Idaho Division of Human Resources at this time to review and address the wage issue with a holistic approach.”
Gov. Brad Little’s spokesperson Marissa Morrison Hyer said the governor is awaiting the annual Change in Employee Compensation report, an analysis on pay put together by the state Division of Human Resources with consulting firms, before finalizing recommendations for state employee compensation.
“The governor’s office is working closely with agencies to determine budgeting needs,” Morrison Hyer said in a statement.
Service remains uninterrupted, Hightower said. Last week alone, “dispatchers and troopers with ISP responded alongside our fellow law enforcement agencies to extremely critical, urgent calls for service.”
ISP, alongside Boise police, helped respond to a shooting at the Boise Towne Square mall that left two dead and four injured. ISP also responded to a standoff between police and an armed man near the Boise Airport.
“That lifesaving response speaks highly of the men and women serving in the Idaho State Police,” Hightower said.
