ALC-Game & Fish/State Police

Ninety years. Gary Stubblefield if you'll come here say it will get started. Don't call this meeting to order. We'll start out today by introducing a group that we have here the Arkansas bankers association emerging leaders over here to. The left of all y'all they're all here today tell would please stand let's recognize y'all. Great to have you all here. Four make any opening comments I'd like to ask up Senator Terry Rice to lead us in prayer to pray over the agency's. Can we pause to take time to acknowledge you in our daily life we pray for the business that we partake in and for those who serve the people of Arkansas we just ask your grace and your mercy your guidance and your protection of things we probation. I mean. I look forward to a to a great meeting today we got the state police in the game and fish well look forward to a great year some great comments from them to get us going forward and I would like to introduce my co chair over here representative Miller for a few opening comments. Thank you co chair of. It's good to be back of a I've had the privilege of of chairing this committee for a wall of from the house side always enjoy it of like these two agencies present one child we're gonna try to be respectful and. Let's be quick about our comments and don't ask a bunch of the same questions and get out of here pretty quickly a mental skill. That's the quickest I've ever heard him talk you must be in a hurry today but we look forward to it the first of all would like to ask of. Going to have to come up in the update us on the Arkansas state police. And I would like to make a few comments as he's walking up we had on the agenda. A pit maneuvers to discuss like we have to lay that for sixty days because of possible or currently ongoing litigation to be fair on both sides we will not accept any questions to colonel on pit maneuvers under any circumstance today we will discuss it in full transparency in sixty days that was agreed upon in the to be fair on both sides of the litigation is taking place and so that that's what will be on that have you had any questions on that either talk to them afterwards our panel coming in sixty days we'll see all kinds of videos and everything at that point colonel. Please take your name for the record thank you Mr chairman name is William J. Bryant I am the director the Arkansas state police just a little background is my forty fifth year law enforcement started nineteen seventy six as a police officer in Huntsville Texas then joined the Drug Enforcement Administration as assistant special if you need a special agent rose to the rank of assistance by special agent charged twenty my thirty year career as a DEA special agents here in the state of Arkansas in twenty fifteen I was appointed by governor Aissa Hutchinson to be the Director of the Arkansas state police since we have some new members here in the committee I'd like to about my command staff with United is I name them I like in the stand up so you know who the command staff the Arkansas state police this the first one is lieutenant colonel Tim canonical's he's over the ministry of operations. Connect. The next B. lieutenant Colonel John Gardner over field operations. Major David Lafferty the Kremlin destination Division. Major force marks or highway patrol the west part of the state. Major Jason Aaron highway patrol over the eastern part of the state. Major Charles over over ministry of services. Major Lindsey Williams over the regulatory division. The major Jeff drew over the crimes against children division. In addition of all Bridget white of our highway safety office in Mary Claire McLaurin our legislative liaison injury they can also also see. All of us are very honored to represent the great women men and women of the Arkansas state police we have five hundred forty eight commission officers three hundred eighty six civilian personnel who make up the Arkansas state police today I want to review a new initiatives and some update your some challenges that the Arkansas state police face the day society. Several new nation been undertaken by SP to protect the citizens of Arkansas first we have just issued it or purchase these eighty deems every uniformed trooper in the state has these in their vehicle as you know we patrol all seventy five counties in the state. Usually we come up on the C. were the first one there if you're rule or the state you might have to wait awhile for an ambulance but we train our personnel used eighty dis to help citizens who are experiencing cardiac issues and we have just got those issued out so I think that's a great tool that we're going to give our troopers to save lives for a great citizens. The second thing that we've done is every Commission trooper in the state we issued an archaic. Every trooper has to does is an Archean this is the of the medication for overdoses to help people from a a opiate overdoses. We also issue these to some of our crimes against children investigators but basically you know we've deployed nor can't twenty five times basically save twenty five lives of people who've overdosed and basically they're laid on the ground put the proper position it's a nasal spray you stick it in there also you spray it given a minute if they don't recover you do it again but again we've given me many life saving war starter president say people's lives overdosed. The other is stop the bleed program. We are a quick caller troopers and trained we give them a first aid kit has a tourniquet and also has packing material to trooper shot or citizens shop but the main thing is the tourniquet. Every trooper now on their duty belt carries a tourniquet give you examples of someone shot or it in a automobile accident it has a severe blood loss the troopers are able to put the tourniquet on stop blood loss again that is saved many are Kansans and we're very proud of these initiatives that up we have implemented. The news they we've implemented as a DPS wellness team you know by statute we're assist agency for all other all law enforcement agencies throughout the state. But you know today's law enforcement job is very stressful job you know I've been doing it for forty five years has probably been the worst I've seen it in my whole career what we want to take care of our people because retention of our people so impaired if but our new team we call the DPS well listing as mostly made up of Arkansas state police personnel we form this program with peer support to were able to a trained peer support priest one of our troopers goes to a critical incident we have a peer support up most likely the person's been to the same as the can help on through these critical incidents it's so impaired if they do other things like professional development. Fiscal nutritional planning wellness outreach initiatives education based trainings referral coordinated resources within and outside the agency we spent a lot of time especially with your departments and police departments the small ones we don't have this resource you know since I've been the director of the state police in twenty fifteen we've had fifteen officers killed the line of duty thank god none of them have been state troopers but we were responding we help those departments through this through these processes we helping with administrative paperwork we help them with the benefits so this is a great tool for us to not only help ourself or other law enforcement agencies throughout the state. We concern about nationwide is suicides in law enforcement. In twenty twenty line of duty deaths is three hundred sixty nine a lot of that was due to covid but in twenty twenty there's a hundred seventy three suicide a law enforcement in twenty nineteen law enforcement duty this was a hundred fifty one. And suicidas two hundred twenty eight we actually lost more officers to suicide we did line of duty deaths. So what you know we're very very focused on concentrating on the wellness of our people. you know we work with the legislature this time we want to thank you all because you know state police said thirty year retirement we wanted to get it to a twenty eight year and basically to a twenty five year retirement because right now if you look at the life expectancy of a normal human being it's seventy eight years old if you look at law enforcement it's fifty nine years old. So if to your trooper you're working age twenty two. You do your thirty year retirement will used to have your fifty two you do the seven your drop your fifty nine court is a test X. you you probably know in the joint retirement so we got it not bill two years but if we look to the future and address some of the issues a law for so we really need to look towards the twenty five year retirement. I want to brag on our troopers little bit we've this year we received several national awards. We just received a Merican Association state trooper trooper of the year award where they came down to awards banquet banquet and presented trooper James ray of troop H. as national trooper of the year the United States. You haven't seen store but basically insisting highway police they got in pursuit. The suspect started going eastbound. westbound and eastbound lane the trooper continued westbound in the correct thing got ahead of in crossed over the median slow traffic down and when the the suspect came to his own approaching head on and struck him head on to save the citizens of Arkansas airport air bags deployed took a pretty good liberties okay but was a road movie was recognized nationally for its role like actions. Also our interstate criminal patrol team you know here in the in Arkansas we have interstate thirty interstate forty interstate fifty five. Our our interstate cruel troll team won the office of national drug control policy award for highway real way interdiction and apprehension a national award they were nominated by the Gulf coast Taina in the year that they won the award. He sees forty one point four pounds of hair one hundred thirty two pounds of methamphetamine a hundred sixty nine pounds of cocaine three thousand two hundred eighty one pounds of marijuana it sees one point four million dollars in US currency. Also on the local level here to save Arkansas your Arkansas Attorney General has annual council awards also of the year council awards I'm pleased to announce the Arkansas state troopers was one forty five of the seventy five county wars are just great work by troopers all across the state. In a couple weeks ago we had the A. S. P. awards our trip of the year was Chet white he's a trooper and Little Rock AR sleep County area it was a ATV accident the ATV was a four four Wheeler landing on top a young girl he lifted the eight ATV offer was eighteen hundred pounds started giving her CPR brought back to life con contacted helicopter who landed in this young girl's allowed today back playing softball DO **** whites Rourke action is very deserving of the award. in closing just a few things we really in cost effective measures we really start investing in drones you know we have an aviation aviation section we have a three aircraft helicopter king air in a Cessna we really start investing in the drone program because you fight that helicopters about a hundred to a thousand dollars an hour if you fire that drone it's just the battery charge we use in a lot of different things special operations accident reconstruction crime scene search rescue floats swat operations. Again it's saving the state money by doing that we have eighteen pilots who are trained you had have if a license to fly the drones and we have sixteen drones we went to. We also Arkansas are confiscation division the pharaoh scanners is a laser crime scene a device it gives you three hundred sixty degree view of crime scenes only us and the FBI have in the state are all over sixty IT companies have that we sit a lot other agency on crime scenes due to our technology advantage the last of work with several people in the room concerning our DL of program we're trying to make big improvements in our driver's license no we work with the representative Boyd and representative Godfrey we just done a video because our failure rate on our written test is about fifty percent and what we're seeing is our young people get no internet and running thank you Arkansas sample test it has nothing to do with our test either you have to the study the Booker we also created an app so we did a video we working with the Secretary Johnny key of. I'm of education he's going to put this video and every high schools every high school student will be able to see that and it gives you great instruction study habits in the way to study if any any student or adult needs it has a learning disability or any reasonable accommodation then we work with them to get that accomplished to increase our our now past the rate on our test thanks we've gone to is online scheduling because sometimes you you have to like little rocker up in low you'll see long lines so with that make people stand in line we're doing our own line scheduling to try to to make it more customer service friendly. The county close I just want you know I told you all the good stuff we have great challenges in law enforcement again I don't use my forty fifth year doing this a recruiting and retention is our greatest thing our our last class we graduated thirty this the first time we've done certified school we started out with fifty one we lost twenty one during the process you know if always a firm believer I tell everybody that I talk to if you were the the the blue state police uniform you got or is not given to you because it is given to you that mean anything but you know what concerns is now is now we're working for our next academy class January twenty twenty two of this morning we only had a hundred sixty contact young people interested become troopers last year we had three hundred three couple years for that five hundred forty eight it's just that is almost a law enforcement crisis of people young people not one going law enforcement so that that concerns me have had conversation with chiefs and sheriffs and also game and fish you just were having trouble finding the lack of qualified applicants who was going to law enforcement you know it's it's a it's it's a really a crisis you know young people when I was young I mean I would I would work for free being a police officer I loved it that much but just a difficult job now if you think about it a law enforcement officer what job do you know of that your own audio video your whole Shia. you usually have to meet somebody on their worst day you know when people who trouble breaks out you have to run the trouble others run away so you know we really got to start working owned on the recruitment retention of qualified officers you know that she's here to tell me that I yesterday I was on a phone call with other kernels in the southern region of the United States number one issue they are dealing with is recruitment and retention of officers we're very fortunate but I right now have thirty five Budget corporal positions are not filled with talk to some of the colonel's yesterday they were two hundred two hundred fifty people by now so here in Arkansas you know it is it's a challenge nationwide as a challenge so you know one thing I think would help as we go forward you know couple sessions go we work with with members here to get this troopers a pay raise you know when I came here the troopers were making thirty four thousand dollars a year the pace up to like forty two eight now starting but that yesterday on the conference call one state. A five year troopers making a hundred thousand dollars a year. So you know we really need to work in and and pay raises and benefits to make sure we keep our troopers. the other thing to just briefly talk on his or her talent he said accidents in twenty eighteen we had five hundred twenty fatality accidents twenty nineteen we had five hundred five last year we had six hundred and forty one fatalities. It's about twenty seven percent increase you know a lot of it is the speed you know every morning every to every troop commander and really every trooper gets the tally is this morning we have three hundred thirty two fatalities in the state we're on the same pace as last year in in kind of closing the the other thing is aggravated driving is what I'm college speeds of a hundred miles an hour the year before covid we only run about a thousand tickets for speeds a hundred plus miles an hour first year cove it it rose to two thousand tickets a hundred plus miles an hour here we are twenty twenty one year to date as of yesterday we written two thousand three hundred eighty one tickets hundred plus miles an hour and we're in the I have the breakdown of your wrist but basically someone for a hundred sixty miles an hour so people are aggravated driving is a concern for us and also the the you know the up tick in involved that we're seeing around the country and even we even small status as an Arkansas we see it R. C. ID reported a company a is kind of a the the central Arkansas area counties but in company a we had fifteen road rage shootings this year already on interstate were people fired shots at each other. so it it is a great concern of the uptick in violence but you know I just wanna tell you this the men women Arkansas state police put their lives on the line every day to protect the service and serve the citizens of Arkansas thank you for allowing me to testify today is that updates you'll ASP the new missions I'll be glad to take any questions Mister chairman. Thank you colonel struck a couple questions for you before we go to the to the list over here one is you mention will go with the suicide rate the most officers what we are doing to prevent that well lot of it is we have counseling services and with this new well machine it we will have counselors to refer them to R. their peers you have some the people you know have con contemplated suicide in it and made it through in in the B. peers that they can relate to discuss this or we actually sent a psychologist or or counselors. Is there anyone. Incident or thing that's driving them toward this is it. Just all negativity at they're facing all the time or it's it's the stress of the job but you know what most people Mr chairman I realize I mean we're we're we're people we're human work we're not robots I mean you see the worst you know triple homicide so if the tally actually for children they were killed you know you we have their work it we see it every day that's tough to deal with are you and forty you have to use force and take someone's life I mean that's something that stays with you in and it's sometimes some people get over and I'm seeing in my career where they never get overtly the feel the law enforcement so it's a very tough job thank thank you for that and one of one of the question for me is I noticed with the brochure you sent out to us yesterday the Commission make up for the state police shows us seven total two or more movie Conway into a more Russellville how do you determine that make up. Mister chairman I think it's it's by statute if a farmer I discounted from memory I think you have one from each congressional district. And then you can have then you have three large because we have seven commissioners but you can't have more than two from the one district again that's and majority falls under the governor's office under boards and commissions we have no input on who the commissioners are but that usually falls into the governor's office thank you Sir Senator Rice. Mister car right thank you for being here proceed you reshape your leadership team and and all this body and the I actually hit a button for you commented on the the pay and I'll come back to that but I I I will also say reshaped the communication between you and the legislature because when we have concerns or whether we have What improve customer service you're you're always open and and get leadership is and that's what we're all of our server in the state of Arkansas the thank you didn't cover in there and that was one of my biggest concerns is we know of people who serve don't always serve for the money but how far out of balance or we with our contiguous stage I don't guess one of the contiguous states was a hundred thousand dollar figure but how far are we lagging in the state's rounders Austin rice that's a good question I see several surveys and forty were Arkansas is finishes usually either fifty first or forty nine. is far as of salaries go different things but as far as money wise here in the state you know Little Rock PD makes more than us we're very fortunate the legislature's been good to us as far as our insurance program to where recover the troopers spouse and is is children that's a benefit but again a lot of our troopers have to work off to your overtime to to be able to survive you know unfortunately it since twenty fifteen I had people leave the state police to go be a bar or they can make more money cut here they can be improved. So we we just definitely need to make sure we get the pay up again and if you if you look at the life expectancy you know the core that I should be dead already you know this but the the it's a stressful job a lot of people you know what that's why part of the that will is we want to make sure we stay physically active eat right because you're placement is very easy to get the gain weight eat fried foods and run around and Carter for things like that but you know that that that's the main thing we just wanna make sure they have stability for their families because you know we recently just had a shooting in a troop K. A. you know the young man goes to work and ends up and fight for his life and his of had to shoot and kill someone which he was justified but you know that that are truckers face that everyday. But in in the contiguous states how far off or we annually we three thousand five thousand ten thousand you know we we do steps as far as like trooper trooper first class and corporal that's kind of the journeyman greats for us I think we're you know anywhere from five to ten thousand kind of in that range but you know we we just need to look at it as a whole for the state you know you were very fortunate you all have been good to us again when I first came or twenty fifteen we're making thirty four thousand dollars a year. Well we we know what the labor market is in again you you can't server not not want to I don't care what the money is of but right well I mean just moneys is the bill as I can tell you this and I'm a firm believer in this this job was a calling you have to have a servant heart I mean I didn't get in this to get rich when I was nineteen years office making four hundred thirty eight dollars a month my wife our newly married her goals to keep fifty dollars or checking account. You know I think most of the people due to server heart but it used to where you know you have to support your family senior kids to school and work we're very fortunate of the State Police foundation to help support into scholarships for troopers children and things like that but I appreciate a quick you get get with us let's get good work and for now the session yes Sir. Representative very please come again. Thank you Mr and current run I appreciate your service or sacrifice as well as all of state troopers and follow up little bit of what the Senator Rice in his question and because I have done extensive studies and you know that I have in research on the quality of life for law enforcement officers in the state of Arkansas and then the three studies that I'm researched Arkansas ranks forty eight forty nine fifty one when you include District of Columbia and that's that's that's Sam won the stresses on a law enforcement officers just like it is in the military is the financial aspect of it and they have to be able to make a decent wage it is a call in just like a military is but you also have to be able to make a decent wage I wonder Sir I've got this chart from BLR. And you look at Arkansas tax dollars. Right here on the in. One penny of every Arkansas tax dollar goes to public safety that is sad. That is said when you have troopers in other states that are making nearly twice as much as the Arkansas state police as well as law enforcement throughout our counties and and communities and provide for the safety and security of our families this legislature really needs to wake up and do something about the law enforcement challenges when it comes to pay in the state of Arkansas thank you Mr chairman. Representative to pressure button again. Thank you Mr chairman as a former members of this committee. And I have so the by us the state police because of a former trooper and state police sergeant so current law just want to commend your people agree with the previous comments that have been made we've never paid in the what we need to we need to look at the pay scale we need to look at the fringe benefits and I think we made some good strides this session particularly with the retirement and other things I just want to commend you for your leadership that's been outstanding and and for the men and women of the of the that you have and the Department they're doing exceptional job under extend is difficult extenuating circumstances you're not only dealing with the law enforcement problems you're dealing with societal problems and that's a challenge today to be able to protect the law abiding citizens of this state and at the same time deal with the violence in the crime both in the motor vehicles and then the physical crimes in the in the cities particularly large cities around the state but again a Mister chairman I thank you and the the I just want you all know majors and lieutenant colonels and troopers and agency directors the appreciate you appreciate what you do and the don't don't become discouraged because there's always hope I think that the information has been provided here today will would just save us and help us thank you Mr chairman. Thank you representative within that remote representative Miller co chair. Thank you Sir of. I think there's a lot of saying here that feels well built this is a of a partisan issue at all you know I'm. Public safety should be. More of a priority to us I appreciate representative very with his comments and is a and that chart they're showing that we give one penny of every tax dollar to public safety that's One time machine to that of obviously we're gonna be meeting. Again in a couple months would be possible Colonel for you and your staff to put together of a proposal I think I know I believe this whole committee would like to see what exactly it is that that that we would need to do budget wise to kind of help. Rectify this problem you know that would help that would help you guys your department could we get a of you know kind of a proposal about what exactly like a dollar amount would be looking at to bring us up to speed with maybe an average of our surrounding states It doesn't make sense lesser we would be glad to do that we've done that before or last raise be glad to continue to do that or what the surrounding that agencies and and state police law enforcement does as well as the major departments here in the state of Arkansas you know one comment I will make it it will have to look into and I don't know for lead to do that but I'll read the paper a couple days ago a lot of the the the police departments in the state are offering signing bonuses to where if you sign on it and if you're certified it might give you a five or ten thousand dollar bonus. you know and and I just hope we don't lose any any troopers to that you know and I know in talking to colonel Florida yesterday that they lose a lot of their people to to local agencies because they pay more. But will be glad to get that information to try to get a plan to you in and we would press create any help from this committee of the legislature shall have been good to us but you know we we have more work to be done because I I really believe from the bottom of our law enforcers and prices right now. Well I appreciate that I think a. We muscle use this committee to you know be informed and and help spread the word come of complex budget time we'll see what we did thank you Sir thank you. Representative told Cozart. Thank you Mr very up being the chair education of we have worked very hard my colleagues in the house and Senate and the guy on the committee and other colleagues across the the Bill floor of both houses of work hard to bring art teacher salaries up over the past eight years we've made a substantial of marking that we're still heading our way and I think the teachers serve a great purpose in our state of teaching our kids but law enforcement keeps you safe thank you for highway safety and what makes us feel comfortable where we're at and also in our schools to so I am very very agreeable home thinking that we need to look at this and see about what we can do that I think this committee could probably even help you look at that as a subcommittee to the salary on what's what needs to be done but I'm not saying just for state police but even they've all of our law enforcement officers across the state probably needs some changes I know some cities can for more in other cities but but definitely we need to make a difference in our law enforcement because it's if we don't have a we have no protection so thank you Sir for what you'll do and I'll be glad to help work on a final deal more money for your all right so I just thought to that I mean you governor Hutchinson has done a lot for us also with the legislature when I first came here we didn't have a lot of honor in or money to to the I have a true school and we finally got that into our budget we can have one true school year the other things is we didn't have a line item to purchase cars we usually have to use rainy day funds are are so with funds from the tree general's office we got three point three million in a motor vehicle acquisition plan for us to be able to have a rotation because if you look at the in report essentially we drive about thirteen million miles a year and that's just not count on the island and all that on the car so I mean if a car is that troopers office but you know governor Hutchinson work we all done great things we bill five new head courses I've been here so you have done great force. And then we continue we know that you support us but you know it's up to my job in the leadership role in my command staff to make you aware of our challenges and how to overcome those challenges we thank you will try to help you out yes Sir. Representative garner. Thank you very much over here I mean Denise Garner available and I am so glad to be on this committee so Randy to the committee I'm going to ask questions to all the law enforcement agencies really kind of flipped the scenario obviously we're all excited about trying to help you guys with with salaries and recruitment retention what is it that is causing do you think that's boots on the ground the increase in crime I mean I'm amazed that we're seeing what two times the amount of aggravated driving in during covid but but not just that but I mean what is it boots on the ground that we can do to help stop the crime so that you guys don't have to work as hard of what I want easy thing when I travel the state to give presentations I was up in Rogers the other day talking to the rotary club any club I go to I encourage every member whether it's the state police police department a police officer sheriff's deputy take take the time to go up and check there is a thank you for what you do you do that I guarantee you may that officers that because I don't hear that anymore all they hear is negativity you know I have a friend of mine and and he'll go somewhere and see a law enforcement officer you always buy so much he doesn't let let him know that he does it but just supports that the bonnet of ticket you know it's a lot of uh law is this yeah I don't know better term for as far as you know why do you need to drive a hundred sixty miles an hour it is yet in that if you look from a hundred to a hundred sixty just amazed at the speed you know we had problems we work with the legislature of street racing and they came through on that and also fully you know what we're trying to use legislative to deter some of these these violent acts but some of it is just you know you look all the way across the country the violence is up everywhere that I wish I had a silver bullet to tell you what it is but you know we're out there every day face twenty four seven. Hello Mister yes going. Is there anything that you. I feel that we could do for your department are there other people that need to be in the department are there what what is it that we could do to make sure that. Your troopers are ready to take on that increase in violent. you know I was of one of the agencies yesterday told me that they've quit everyone of their patrol vehicles of bulletproof windshield five thousand dollars for windshield different things to you know what we use of a a lot of our quick and I think the Arkansas state police is the best equipped agency in the state there's no doubt about we have of the majority the tools you know we have a a bear in America have our slot emergency like the missus all the police departments and sheriff's office in those armored vehicles we've got we all usable slot call outs but we've had before where they came out started shooting that our troopers but they're in the armored cars you know we're using technology a lot as far as drones on swat operations is that a senator print house will not use a robot to breach the door and we fly the drone into the house and Senate senator Maria so different technologies that were really you're trying to save lives on and troopers exposing from danger but I was telling everyone represent if I want to take just one one of our troopers got a fight on the interstate and rolled out and in a eighteen Wheeler almost ran over Mr by a foot we've been very lucky in this state which that we have lost a trooper recall both last trooper we lost it was before I became director but we come close so many times where there were seriously hurt and hospital so I had to medically retire but you know continue to use technology have that funding but again the simple thank you just go up to want to say thank you for what you do I mean that that makes a week I'm telling you right now and and you know same thing for the military if you go to somebody the military's of thank you for what you do that means a lot to him because again it's a service are but you want to know if these guys of the make a career they need this ability for the family. Thank. Thank you just let everyone know we've got a long list up here will going to so let's try to keep or questions direct center Chesterfield. Thank you Mr chairman thank you for your service thanks for the service as one of the reasons I was leading the applause is because what you do is very much treasured and appreciated let me ask you we have talked much about how we can get your salaries to where they need to be and the benefit package that you Sir I am wondering we have a southern regional education board that deals with education for an education issues in the southern region this section entity exist with the state police. Is there a regional board that you have in which you are part and take part. We have. Not as a whole state you have the Arkansas chiefs association you have the Arkansas sheriff's association we participate in those I'm talking about like Alabama Mississippi yes. What we call the southern region and the Oklahoma Texas Arkansas Louisiana Mississippi Alabama Georgia South Carolina North Carolina so you guys need to get there yes ma'am and so if we were as we talked about get an interim study going we could compare the in the salaries and benefit packages of those individuals in your region could we do that yes ma'am absolutely and as we do that then we would be better prepared to come back legislatively first of all probably with an interim study the proposal and then move to legislation in the upcoming session I think that would be helpful let me ask you this state department of the state police department is always acted independently now you are part of a broader group. Has it impacted your work as an enhanced it is it because no change at all being a part of whatever to be whatever you envision is what you're Division. You are not a public safety ma'am with six other AC makes sense in some areas especially say services for example are fully you know it's the state police were the only one actually had police we're able to save the state money by utilizing the flea for all those agencies but also you know transformation are some challenges but we're definitely making progress and it is taking some of the burden on me it's been Secretary cook is able to take a look at grants different things to be able to to acquire those things for the state police but uh It has been very beneficial but of course any any transformation I have a couple challenges. Is there anything we can do to make those challenges lesser. No ma'am I think it's gonna take time is anything take time all right well thank you and thank you Mr chair for allowing me to ask a question is I'm not on this committee I appreciate I thought of pursuing not only me say anything anything for you Senator Jett thank you. Okay as far as questions and everything goes kernels gonna get our salary information to us benefit packages anything if we need so for the next meeting so if you have anything on those questions will kinda convert those to the next twenty years information farce representative Scott. Which one no there yes okay thank you Mr chair thank you conferees servicing your leadership the only question I have is is there anyway are you doing like the exit interview where we can see why the individual's aren't completing the school I know you said you had a significant number that I've already dropped from your your true school that you have going on right. Yes ma'am we we do exit interviews and have them do also when are we have a five year trooper lease he does an exit interview so we try to to get that information to make improvements we need to do but you know are true school is basically kind of like a boot camp for the marine corps and and and and you know I guess some young people are getting used to being yelled at so you know that could be a little bit of it but again if you'll be a trooper you gonna turn that right and and and it's worked well for for eighty six years we just turned eighty six this year and we have a great history to start out with thirteen Rangers and here we are at a five hundred forty eight troopers now okay so nothing else is really standing out from those exit interviews that you're doing yes ma'am okay thank you senator Clark. Thank you Mr. Of thank you colonel for being here your testimony your presentation service. Of it reminds me of a committee I chaired the we're we talk about the child abuse hotline of and the we were shorthanded and that's because we were told the legislature hadn't funded it. but upon further questioning revealed that the department had asked for more funding. Of. So. Has the Department. It is since you and I have been here ask for raises but I'm not aware of that we haven't funded. Okay calm then also have a major group crimes against children division but Soon after taking over the director the state police I believe the legislature authorized like eleven hotline operators I think when the supervisor eleven investigators if we if we got the positions but we did not get the funding of the following session I believe it was two sessions ago to where when the concealed handgun a fee was cut fifty percent we ran a fee increase to cover that loss in the we had additional a hundred thousand and we use that to hire eleven investigators are eleven investigators seven hotline I might have that backwards but we had a good conversation yesterday a major do not attended a briefing with the representative fault and other members to look at Missouri state the way they run their hotline but in that conversation came up that you know our our hotline operators or or like a GS four investigators are six is so we had a discussion of that to try to study that and see we can get the salary increases up there because the hotline operator in the investigators require a college degree and so we would definitely like for you know we have a high turnover rate because again those people. They see the worst of the worst the physical sexual abuse of children and does a high turnover rate because it's a tough job but I don't know if I ask you questions complete I know that we end up you got to position didn't have the funding and we end up covering that funding able hire those positions because of that the increase but my my real question in a I'm sorry for miss communicating was that we had discussed that a couple years ago when it turned out that. We had funded it because we had been asked and so my question is as we talk but need for raises for of law enforcement today is have we been asked has it been in the budget has or has there been a request in the budget for it. It increases for raises for state police that we turn down. Again I believe and I'll have to fully get back to you I do remember seeing it we had it in it and I don't think we got the exact correct or the Legislative but I will follow up on that I but one point I knew was in there we ask you did not get it but I'll have to find a stock answer for you Sir and I'll be glad to follow up with the thank you because I that's what I really like to know I mean if we if we rest and we turned it down but so often times it gets. The from the executive side they say no don't ask for it and we can't we can't be reprimanded for for not giving what what nobody said was needed was yes all of which each of those documents thank you. Senator Clark I'm pretty sure you'll have those figures that will be requested one from when I'm here and so you you will get that request I have a feeling Senator Ingram. Yeah I think that the colonel for memory serves me right it was the last session that we give a five percent raise to all the troopers excluding of yourself and maybe canonical's the maybe major but we raised it five percent that that really was first race we had a while but that legislation passed of two years ago crescer that's correct myself the two lieutenant colonels and I get pay increase and that's the way it should be we need to take care of our troopers of new back to the road rage incident is there You seven fifteen that have been my guess was probably fourteen of only involved a eighteen wheel trucks blocking traffic on the left hand lane specifically on interstate forty between little rock and West Memphis but up with. We we pass legislation I think in this last session is dealing with of impeding the left hand lane that you pass and you get over and its great take effect I was just wondering of your the what are the plans for implementing that because that is a major problem right I mean well I highway patrol majors a work for the patrol commanders around the state at you know we're very fortunate to we have what's called the step program through the the highway safety program at the state police we have ninety agencies throughout the state that we pay overtime to work so we can make that a focus if enforcement law but the majority the instances of the fifteen I think thirteen we're here in Pulaski County of the road rage incidents were actually shots was fired I was on the way over to the legislature this morning or just thirty minutes ago in her road rage is or when she'll got shot out here in in Pulaski County so. I know people get aggravated allowed forty. The that's a bad drive over there but most of the war here in that Pulaski County. Representive Watson. Thank you Mr chair Preciado I make a brief being a non committee member Carl appreciate a good work question is you mentioned vehicle vehicles a couple times while ago is a shortage of vehicles you know. From just the private sector due to COVID in a lot of things focus on of. Yells vehicles your mobile offices for the officers of how bad is is going to impact I know you and I had talked about it the back to blue basically everything almost everything past is past session is for the equipment funding of our things to sing like that may work out as far as keeping all the officers equipped after on the roadway that's a great question we are struggling finding cars we had to go through the office of state procurement imports so we had we bought our Tahoe's we with the Tahoe's recently because that's when we kind of cars we get you know traditionally were a Dodge charger but we only get the Tahoe's we had to buy those out of Texas computer chips or the main issue we're also finding now we get the tacos and because we are we uh warm up with the radios in all that ourselves but we're having trouble getting that equipment to put in the cars so it's a continuous struggle you know if I think we got fifty five dollars charges on order for over a year year and a half and we haven't yet haven't got it yet so it's it's is continue struggle for us to to get a patrol vehicles. Okay appreciate it when the game and fish comes up I appreciate if they would just try to remember can a brief us in on that one also for their equipment also thank you representive right. All right thank you thank you for your service I want to ask go back to the topic of recruitment and retention of that has to be something that's not just Arkansas specific but something that that agencies are sent across the country have used looking the other states have you seen any policies that other states are implementing other than obviously the the elephant in the room being triggered by that we ought to take a look at implementing or studying further. Sure we we've done several things it is far as recruitment because you know of a young man or woman wants to go to work for the state police we have to fill our critical vacancy so we've done now is if you're from for city Arkansas it doesn't make much sense for us to move them over to Fort Smith you know so we try to do in the recruiting process it if you know Hey if you want to stay where you're at and we have an opening we're going to honor that we don't try to keep them close to home where we don't have to to move across the state of the other things we do we really look towards the military we go to the minority colleges different things to recruit a specially you know like people the military you have a disciplined team approach same thing with athletes you know that they're used to discipline it in a team approach the thing we do that you know we've entertain that and we do do some out of state but I know I was talking to some a couple police use yesterday that that they're gonna go out of state and then and on the call yesterday one of them's is just doing a special school for troopers if a trooper what's the come from another state it'll be a very short school like three weeks and because they've already been trained as a trooper and so you know it's different things we can look at you know our or certified school and seven twenty one we schools eleven weeks so that was a big incentive for people who want to come to state police to do that so we you know we're trying every trick in the tray but you know the same thing with game and fish or anybody you talk to rob or office in from the same pot would make which makes it tough so you know we gotta think of the box a little bit okay thank you representative Richmond. Is your question on page me ask that question first. Representative slip Senator real Mr thank you Sir sorry we had an all news for mark as many many times the colonel thank you for being here today and it's so regarding on the the pay if the pay's not race was tax credit of a meaningful with that not only what I hear from you but I hear from sheriffs and chiefs police saying thank you to mayor we lose people play of would that suffice would that be of any benefit to you. I thank you would and I know that you're working with us got ready for this year's association things like that I mean I'm I know some are sheriff's deputies out of everyone that lost his life was making twenty seven thousand dollars a year your shares are far less pater deputies are far less paid to what the troopers are so I think any benefit that we give law enforcement state would would be a benefit. Thank you Senator back on. Thank you are current run one of the. Things I hear a lot of my district from sheriffs and local police chief says the ability to put criminals in jail especially the past year after the code restrictions the jails were full they couldn't accept anyone else they member shall break a code are you seeing impacts of that of of the. Is that possibly one of the driving issues of the increased include increasing crime you're saying or the more brazen aggravated driving. Instances that you're you're coming across you know we are in all seventy five counties counties different us on the news last I think we're Brinkley is closing their jail I know here in Little Rock sometimes we we yes they don't have enough space so we have to issue a citation release you know it's and due to code it makes it tough on these people who do have jails you know it could be a factor but we just have to deal with with that is is we move along but the you know you just have to have somebody citation and go all in for crime. Senator Stubblefield. Thank you Mr chairman. I appreciate you being here and I appreciate everything law enforcement does of state troopers in our local law enforcement you know we we have watched the last few years when you turn on your TV and you look at the video in the in the the footage of of crimes and and people dancing on police cars and breaking out the windows and heating placement in the head with bricks we've had a spirit of lawlessness in this country for the last three years three to four years that we have never seen before. There's no account up there's a there's become no accountability for many of these criminals and that involves prosecutors that involve judges they're all part of this and if they don't do their job it makes it very difficult for you and your men to do their job. We have seen this not after night after night you cannot have a civilized society without law enforcement. No one can argue with that if you don't believe me just try. You'll have anarchy. And what we've seen in many of our cities the past two years has been anarchy and that is drifted all the way across the country and it's settled in certain areas and certain people believe they can get away with just anything with cities like San Francisco allow you to go into a store and instill up to nine hundred dollars you can walk out without me charged with a felony we've got a real problem in this country. And that's happening all over the country. So what we as a legislature need to get behind our law enforcement and let them know that. We we appreciate you we also expect the judges and prosecutors to hold these individuals accountable for the crimes they committed. Telefoot to the full extent of the law would you agree with that. Yes Sir that's policy council issue but you know what I know that we take an oath is a Arkansas state trooper to enforce the laws the United States in the constitution of Arkansas and are people out there it's it's why you become in law enforcement you know I think it's a servant heart in your you're here to protect people that those who can't protect themselves so you know we do our part the other could be policy issues or things like that but But it but it's hard for you to do your job when you feel the heavy hand of the government or the state of the government on your neck threatening you. With losing your job or possibly going to prison yourself and when you have to make split second decisions that none of us can even comprehend. Yes Sir may it's difficult law forces a difficult professions I agree I totally agree. Thank you Mr Senator Beckham make it fast you're the last one. Thank you the follow up to the question I asked earlier how many counties in the past year or. Troops were citation release. I have to research it for you but here in and Central Arkansas happens quite a lot usually not the offense is a violent felony. You know you never have that is it but it's other or normally people would be to the incarcerated due to cope with due to jail space of you might as to issue a citation to release of can you give us a an example the more egregious crimes that are committed to the citation lease the wires that. I have a couple my highway patrol majors to be honest we the last time I wrote a ticket was like nineteen eighties or so of a lot of us there but if if one of the highway patrol majors can come up and maybe. Centre back on that's not fast. Please take your name for the record a major force marks the Arkansas state police. Major question was the the restaurant right was the. Can you give an example of the crimes that you're doing citations decision citations in the leasing versus taken to jail. Some more serious offenses that we're seeing to the jail space what we're saying on the highway is like say warrants for example if there is a misdemeanor criminal warrant for a suspect in our trooper stopped some of within the past year to code restraints etcetera we we've done a lot of siding release on those those type of things up we have had some cases where we've arrested somebody for DWI we've had a really small a citation to responsible party. Thank you. Thank you colonel for your testimony today we greatly appreciate you and all your staff and everything I'll do for the state of Arkansas. Thank you Mr we are very kind but I I just want to say this that the forty five years many cop I've I've never seen more dedicated men and women who work for the state police if any credit deserve it's it's to those that are out there every day where the rubber meets the road thank you thank you. Next game and fish. Avenue new director this coming for to speak to a state of three all those of y'all who have not many Mr director Austin both eight years in the military as a marine and so look for for him to take charging go and conquer everything in the game in fishing needs to be done and we kind of got together and asked about what what what should we talk about today I to talk about the future I wanna hear what he plans on doing what he plans on going forward with and how he plans on the address and everything that's one here that marine attitude and how he plans on doing that. Please please enter several record often thank you senator hello I'm Austin booth the director for the Arkansas game and fish commission I thank all bill for attending today and for the opportunity to introduce myself to this body and also want to thank the a commissioners that we have behind us for their support not only for me but for our Kansans an outdoors for ship and also for the agency staff that we have here as well thank you senator I mean where would you please inducing. Sure yes Sir. So we have chairman Martin Bobby Martin from from Rogers. We have our vice chairman of the west full replacement. we have commissioners Stan Jones from corvette. We have commissioner rob Finley from out home. We have commissioner and returns from Little Rock. And last but not least most recently commissioner Phil tap of. Thank you. The Commissioner JT Miller from canton. First mistake. It will be less than. So many thanks to the commissioners for being here and also to the agency staff like Senator Hill mentioned an Arkansas native was born in Little Rock and raised in lone oak county and like a lot of our Kansans every single spare minute I had when I wasn't in school or working in the family business was spent outside tell people that that a lot of my growing up was and ready to John but steer stance that winds of five gallon buckets and I'll I have left I left Arkansas in two thousand four to attend the citadel in Charleston South Carolina which in addition to being a military school is one of the only four year institutions and and the country that I'm aware of where the barbed wire fences phase and we're. and after the center I completed law school and Commission and the United States Marine Corps. Served in the marine corps for a little over eight years and most of my time in the marine corps was spent as a criminal prosecutor in support of combat operations in Afghanistan or working on the hill as cars will Max defense fellow or as a congressional is on for the marine corps budget enterprise. eight it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do but I'll I left the marine corps and if there was one thing that made the process easier it was the fact that I was not only coming home to Arkansas and remain wife and three kids with me but that I was coming home to to serve as the chief of staff and the CFO for the Arkansas department of Veterans Affairs and knowing that I was coming to my home state to help veterans from my home state made it a little bit easier and then fast forward does to July first I took the reins as the nineteenth director for the Arkansas game and fish commission so I've been on the job twenty days now and I've been nothing but impressed from what I've seen from the agency staff and also a a great deal of respect for the work we have to do. So in outlining my my vision as the director of the game and fish I started formulating decision as a candidate before I took the reins twenty days ago. And my vision for the Arkansas game and fish commission is a deep and abiding commitment to what I call common man conservation. That comment conservation has three implications for the agency and the I want to share with you today. The first application is that the mission of the Arkansas game and fish commission is to conserve fish wildlife and habitat. The mission doesn't end there. We can serve that reefs we can serve that resource as we have for a hundred and six years we've built a world renowned legacy of conservation. But we manage that resource for the benefit of our Kansans. Everything we do here the end result the end state is not conservation of a resource in of itself. All the conservation work that we do is is ultimately aimed at our Kansans. And. As we try to conserve the resource and aim it towards our our Kansans what we're really conserving is are part of the outdoor character of this state. The second implication from common man conservation stems from what's often a challenge for the Arkansas game and fish commission but it's a huge blessing. I cannot think of another state in the union. To use the words of Commissioner dress. Where you can harvest an elk and you can harvest an alligator. You can come to Arkansas you can catch a world record brown trout. You can kill a trophy but you can have world class dot com you can catch a striper you can catch a trophy black bass we have a diversity of wildlife here that is unprecedented unparalleled in my opinion from any other state in the union. And oftentimes what this leads us to is is is all these different segments of our cans instead of all these different interests and sometimes there's a temptation. Or a perception that if we pursue the interests of one of the segments that we're taking away from the other segment so where I'm going with all of this is that we serve. All our Kansans. Even if there is the incline of the outdoors or not but we have to make sure that we're serving our our black bass community just as much as we're serving our truck community or serving our small game community just as much as we are are white still community that we're serving public land hunters public land anglers just as much as we're serving private landowners and and private leaseholders so we don't just serve our Kansans that we serve all of them to. The third implication is you can look back to where Arkansas was wildlife wise a hundred years ago and see the immense progress that we've made. A hundred years ago we had almost killed the white tail deer dear to extinction. That was one of the things that led to the creation of the Arkansas game and fish commission. And with us for the last year and we had a record breaking harvest of nearly two hundred thousand a year. To do that in a hundred years it is incredible but we didn't get there overnight it took a hundred and and six years to do that so as we unpack the mission. And aim towards our Kansans it it it it quickly becomes clear that our mission isn't just for Kansans it's not just for all our Kansans but it's for the Arkansas outdoorsman that we have now in it for the next generation so as we conserve the resource we have to make sure that we're doing and not just for now but so my kids and my grandkids in y'all's grand kids can enjoy it to the same degree and even better than how we enjoyed it now. So what is this vision look like applied to goals in the near future. The first topic is infrastructure. If we want to. Hold water on a lake to provide a fishing opportunity to our Kansans or we want to hold water on timber to provide duck hunting opportunities or we want to to have food plots in a W. MA we cannot do it without infrastructure. That can look like everything from a road to a coal overture bridge to a water control structure to a damn. And as we look out towards our infrastructure throughout the state and the number of our Kansans that we're trying to serve we have to not only address the infrastructure that is reaching the end of its life cycle with the modernize that but we also have to make sure that. We don't make the same assumptions with that infrastructure that we're replacing we have to ensure that we're doing it based on what's going on in Arkansas right now. So that's the first priority is infrastructure. The second priority is creating a broad and deep level of cultivation for public and private land habitat. We want more people to get outdoors. And it's an obligation of the Arkansas gamefish Commission OTW OS to these people that want to get outdoors to provide them the public opportunity to do that. Not only in quantity the and how many wildlife management areas we have and how many tree lines they can walk into we've got to make sure that the quality of that public options there to. But as you all know ninety percent of the land in the state is privately owned so by definition most people will will will haunt and some level or fish on private land so we see so we also can't pursue. Public land at the expense of all these different private landowners that that we have so we need a broad and deep and deliberate effort to cultivate private and a public habitat. In the third priority is what we call our three it is and a national effort right now or three stands for recruits a recruiting retention and reactivation of outdoorsmen this basically and that anachronism to say we got to get new people in the fold whether they've never been with this or they've been with this and it left and when we do those things we can't disenfranchise the people that we have. And. I've said this a handful of times that that there are communities all throughout the state that are thriving that no they're outdoors and better than we do I didn't know whose hunting fishing and who's not why. And as we try to bring new outdoors the into the fall we look forward to coming alongside with your communities to help do that exact thing. I'll leave you with two things of the first is that. I'm under no illusions that this body and your colleagues outside of this committee may have heard some of these priorities before. things like infrastructure and public grounds and R. three and the last thing that I want to leave you with today is a conclusion that you're hearing the same song from a different sheet music. I want you to know that We have an incredibly talented cadre of professional conservationists at the Arkansas game and fish commission. It is not a calling like life and sorry it's not a calling like law enforcement because their life not on the line but it is fundamentally a calling for them to see the outdoors nourish. Just to see it grow and to see people enjoy that. However. The most important conservation is that we have in the state of Arkansas is the guy that works of forty to sixty hours a week and just trust the fit in the outdoors when he came between work church and kids. And the conservation system on that wants to take their son or daughter out fission. Those of the conservationist I'm focused on as I address these priorities because I'm not a professional conservationists I'm a Les conservations that has reached the the metro wore of everything that discussions done and our Kansans that have worked hard alongside with them and I'm focused on bringing the very best that the state has to offer to all Arkansans. Second thing that I will leave you with is that we have a wonderful partner in the Arkansas game and fish foundation they have graciously offered to host a reception immediately following this hearing at red and blue we would love to see you there just gets no you will have some K. nine units there some of our game wardens and some live birds of prey up from pine bluff so I hope to see you there I look forward to your questions. Thank you Director. We'll start out with the co chair here he's got a question for you. Thank you Mr chairman of Mr growth is going to good to see and hear look forward to you being here in the great things that. That this agency is granted I will ask you this right now on the record in front of this whole committee do you and your staff answer phone calls from legislators when there's issues in their districts and real happy to assess whether it's just legislators on this committee or are otherwise so that There's no confusion about this either you do or you don't we clear that up now plans we one hundred percent do all right thank you I would encourage all the other legislators in here you have stuff come up calling Springs they're very accessible they're very easy to talk to there. A lot of times stuff can be resolved very easily with a phone call clear up any misunderstandings and we don't have to have meetings and plow the same ground eighty seven times at the taxpayer's expense so that's a that's come a statement would you agree. Say yes yes Sir. Thank you co chair record both. We welcome aboard look for to work with you in the future consider this your only free pass whoever yes no questions in the queue I was wrong if. Good luck thank you back on. Drug in your statement there you said that it's not a calling because your your officers lives are not online. Would you like to clarify that because we have quite a few sure I live officers across the country that are killed in the line of duty and that was one of our grave concerns this past legislative session when the ask was made. You know what I'm referring to that that was going to increase the number of people that were. Willing to do that. Sure it is a. Yes this so let me say this. I have only been on the job for twenty days. And every time I step in front of a game warden it reminds me of look and at a United States marine. Fire in their eyes ready to jump in the Mississippi River at night for a complete stranger into a submerged vehicle for a complete stranger. I absolutely love those guys I want to make that abundantly clear. My statement about conservation is not having their lives on the line was pertaining to our non law enforcement. A professional conservationists many biologists the guys taking care of the wildlife management areas. I have the deepest respect for our game wardens and if I misspoke or confuse that that I'm deeply sorry. Thank you director with the like I said well it within four to working with you in future I'm not gonna take any more questions from anyone so they get in the queue and I'll look it up to like you you deserve a free pass today we look forward to working with you in the future and what time you said every session started. Right now. This meeting is adjourned.