PHOENIX — After a graduation ceremony last week, 33 new Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers are ready to patrol Arizona roadways.
In the spring, another 54 graduated.
The head of the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Col. Jeffrey Glover, says his department is headed in the right direction when it comes to hiring, but despite that, they still need hundreds of troopers.
Col. Glover says DPS needs to hire an additional 300 troopers to be fully staffed. He recently sat down with ABC15's Nick Ciletti to discuss what needs to be done to attract more troopers - and keep the ones they currently have.
Recruiting new members of law enforcement is something departments across the country have struggled with, and DPS is no exception.
"DPS is very unique," explains Col. Glover. "It's different than most agencies. We are a statewide agency, so when you're trying to attract individuals coming into this profession, you could be pretty much be located in any geographic location. To be hired on, you could be here in the metro Valley, or you could be down in Douglas, Nogales, or placed anywhere. For some folks, that may be a turn-off because the nucleus of their family and their base may be here in the Valley, and that's sometimes one of the challenges we run into as it comes to recruiting."
But it's certainly not the only challenge. Salary is another obstacle Col. Glover says his department runs into when hiring new recruits and retaining troopers currently on the force.
This year, Gov. Katie Hobbs and the Arizona Legislature approved a 5% pay increase for troopers - and while Col. Glover says he appreciates the effort, he also says there needs to be more action.
"I think in order to stay more competitive, we need to see more increases of pay and benefits," says Col. Glover. "We want to make sure we are keeping up with all of the local agencies, whether that be in the Valley or some of the other areas of the state, as well as being able to be competitive with other states in general."
According to the Arizona State Troopers Association, DPS has lost about 300 troopers over the past three years, stating it takes a little more than $200,000 to train new troopers, equaling about $60 million that DPS has lost - or will need to spend to replace those troopers.
ABC15 asked Col. Glover to respond to that claim. Col. Glover said many members of DPS signed on back in the 1990s and have spent 25-30 years on the force, and are now up for retirement, causing many of the departures from his department.
"It doesn't mean everything is doom and gloom," explains Col. Glover. "There are a lot of positives to this. You are getting a new generation, a new breed of officers and troopers that are starting to come into the profession. I think it's good because you are seeing a lot of civic-minded individuals wanting to help."
ABC15 researched what new recruits who just graduated from the academy would get paid at DPS and three Valley police departments.
Starting salaries for new recruits (after graduating):
- DPS: $65,382.72
- Phoenix PD: $74,360
- Mesa PD: $73,600
- Glendale PD: $73,389.16
Watch the full interview with Col. Glover in the video player below:
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