Troopers Make Push For Help

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Mississippi Highway Patrol officers are calling on lawmakers to spend millions of dollars to train more troopers and to buy new cars and safety equipment.

More than 100 uniformed, off-duty troopers went to the Capitol on Wednesday to rally for their requests.

Legislators are in the final few weeks of writing a state budget for the year that begins July 1. At this point, it’s not clear how much they’ll set aside for the Highway Patrol.

Mississippi has about 500 troopers now, but officials say the ideal number is about 650. The last trooper training school was in 2011, with about 50 graduates.

Gov. Phil Bryant told troopers during a news conference, “As God is my witness, help is on the way.”