New hiring process could eliminate trooper deficit

The Colorado Highway Patrol says it heard the community and is working to improve in areas highlighted by a recent survey. 

Just less than 3,000 Coloradans participated in a recent survey sent out by the Colorado Highway Patrol. While not all the results are in, CHP already sees room for improvement. 

Chief Matthew Packard said that the mission of the patrol office is to get better at savings lives. One way to do that is to increase the number of troopers across Colorado.

He said the number one problem local offices are facing is an increase in calls for service but a lack of people to respond to those calls. The organization is facing a 120 trooper deficit along with many other vacancies, Packard said. 

Survey participants agreed that encounters with CHP officers are conducted fairly and with professionalism, however, they want more troopers on the roads and more community engagement.

These two problems boil down to not enough staff to do the job, Packard said. As a result, CHP is looking to reorganize its recruitment and hiring practices.

Typically, CHP hosts only two academy classes a year. This can deter some people who need employment sooner, Packard said. 

Beginning in the summer of 2023, CHP will offer academy classes every 12 weeks in the hopes of graduating between 100-110 new officers a year. 

Packard said the department will add six new staff to conduct the training but is not relaxing on the standards officers will be expected to leave the academy with. 

The new program will utilize the current budget, Packard said. 

With more than 700 deaths on Colorado highways in 2021 and numbers surpassing that in 2022, Packard is eager to get the new program started. 

In the meantime, CHP will continue to use data to drive decisions on the best places to deploy troupers.