[Montgomery, Alabama] Approximately 40 percent of all Alabama State Trooper-investigated fatalities are alcohol related. If Senate Bill 44 is passed into law, State Troopers staffing, which is already at a critical stage, would see further cuts resulting in fewer State Troopers patrolling Alabama roadways and more crashes, more injuries and more fatalities.
With current staffing levels, many State Troopers spend most of their shifts responding to crashes and assisting motorists leaving little or no time to proactively enforce Alabama’s traffic laws. In 2014, State Troopers made 2,831 DUI arrests. “Anyone who has ever experienced the loss of a loved one due to a drunk driver, appreciates the efforts of Alabama State Troopers proactively seeking out and arresting impaired drivers to make our highways safe,” said Katrinka McCrory. McCrory is the mother of Montgomery Police Department Officer Robert Edward McCrory, who was killed by a drunk driver on July 20, 2007.
State Troopers enforce all state laws with an emphasis on traffic enforcement. During 2014, 821 people were killed in traffic crashes in Alabama. Traffic enforcement is vital to the safety of Alabama citizens and the Alabama Senate’s passage of SB44, will severely hinder efforts to keep Alabama roadways safe. “We are depending on the members of the House of Representatives to act swiftly and correct this disservice to the safety of the citizens of Alabama,” said Secretary of Law Enforcement Spencer Collier. “I think the House and its’ leadership will correct the anti-law enforcement action of the Senate.”
Over the last several years, State Troopers enforcement efforts and safety campaigns have contributed to a reduction in traffic fatalities despite Trooper manpower reaching a low of 289 in 2014. Upon full implementation of ALEA in January 2015, Trooper manpower was increased to 431, which is still only 42 percent of the recommended State Troopers patrolling Alabama roadways. Passage of SB44 will counteract these achievements and result in decreased State Trooper patrols on Alabama’s roadways and an increase in traffic fatalities.
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Fatality
Yes
