The Highway Patrol graduated 31 new troopers from basic school Friday, nearly a dozen of them from eastern carolina.
The Highway Patrol says it's about 500 troopers short of what they normally have on North Carolina roads. So the 31 who graduated Friday put a small dent in the 500 needed. They were sworn in during ceremonies at the Colonial Baptist Church in Cary. About 600 people attended the ceremony.
Troop "A", which covers most of Eastern Carolina, is short 28 highway patrolmen.
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The NC Highway Patrol has a shortage of troopers across the state and the agency says funding and recruitment are to blame.
A full staff at the Highway Patrol station in New Bern should be 16 troopers. Right now that station only has 11 troopers.
Troop "A", which covers most of Eastern Carolina, is short 28 highway patrolmen.
Statewide the agency typically has 1,800 troopers on the road. However, currently, and for the past year, that number has gone as low as 1,300.
First Sergeant Kevin Rock says, "All of us are feeling the pinch on this and the troopers we have are very hard working and they are doing the best they can to fill these gaps while they are there and it's just a tough situation."
First Sergeant Rock says he is working with two or three troopers per shift to cover both Pamlico and Craven counties. That's about half of what he needs and says he expects to lose another trooper to a promotion in the next month.
