(TRENTON) — Assemblywoman Joan M. Quigley (D-Hudson) today issued a multimedia package discussing her concerns over a lack of funding for new State Police trooper recruit classes in Gov. Christie’s proposed budget.
The multimedia package consists of a video on Quigley’s concerns, audio of same, a transcript of comments from the Assemblywoman and a press release discussing her concerns in more detail.
The video can be accessed directly via our Web site — www.assemblydems.com — or by clicking here.
The audio file is available upon request.
A press release on the budget public hearing can be found at either www.assemblydems.com or by visiting the Assembly Democrats on Facebook.
A transcript of Quigley’s comments follows:
“Five years ago, we started putting an extra surcharge on motor vehicle fees to fund the state classes of State Police in the academy. We’ve only done that twice in five years. So, the money’s being collected, but it’s not being spent on what it was made for.
“I’m very worried that it’s going to cause public safety issues because there just aren’t enough troopers.
“We have to get more. We’re paying for them. Every time we do a motor vehicle transaction, we’re paying for the troopers. And the troopers aren’t being provided to us.
“There is no class scheduled for this year. They recruited in 2009. This is 2010. There will be no class in 2011 either. They plan to start in summer of 2012.
“There’s no way that they can continue to patrol our airports and our ferries and our urban high-crime areas and the highways and do rural policing with half the people they had 20 years ago.
“It simply can’t be done. The public is going to suffer.”
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