You may not notice it this holiday weekend, but the Georgia state patrol is suffering from a staffing shortage so severe that one in every five trooper positions is empty.
The state patrol is not finding enough qualified candidates to fill its 200 trooper openings. The low pay and long hours may not be appealing, and the state agency will only hire trained candidates with solid backgrounds.
But State Patrol Spokesman Larry Schnall says motorists will not notice the shortage this weekend.
"We've basically got every available trooper out there patrolling during our holiday periods," Schnall says. "People who normally don't patrol on a regular basis are called upon basically to patrol, rather than do our administrative duties."
Schnall says the more troopers on the roads, the safer the public will be. He plans to take a break from his communications duties to man the roads.
The agency also is borrowing officers from other departments, including the Capitol police, to patrol the highways during the holiday.
The state patrol is not finding enough qualified candidates to fill its 200 trooper openings. The low pay and long hours may not be appealing, and the state agency will only hire trained candidates with solid backgrounds.
But State Patrol Spokesman Larry Schnall says motorists will not notice the shortage this weekend.
"We've basically got every available trooper out there patrolling during our holiday periods," Schnall says. "People who normally don't patrol on a regular basis are called upon basically to patrol, rather than do our administrative duties."
Schnall says the more troopers on the roads, the safer the public will be. He plans to take a break from his communications duties to man the roads.
The agency also is borrowing officers from other departments, including the Capitol police, to patrol the highways during the holiday.
