The Illinois State Police Are Looking To Rebuild Their Force

Illinois State Troopers have definitely had a tough year already. Since January 1st, Three troopers have lost their life do to distracted or drunk drivers. In 2000, there were over 1,500 Troopers across the state. Now here we are in 2019 and their numbers have dwindled down to only 966. Which means they have almost lost 40 percent of their force since 2000 according to ChicagoTribune.com

Between spending cuts, retirement the Illinois State Police have felt a significant blow. Some people are asking do they have enough officers on duty to keep Illinois safe and to discourage distracted or reckless driving. Now large efforts are being made to rebuild the department. JB Pritzker, has proposed  allocating over 7 million dollars to train 2 new cadet classes at the academy. Another way they're trying rebuild is to reconsider education requirements. As of now you need to have a 4 year degree to join the force but they might be changing that to only a Bachelor's degree.

Acting director for the Illinois State Police, Brenden Kelly said, " Its one thing to give us good laws.. but we need you to give us the people to enforce those laws.