State cuts dozens of police inspector jobs

[IndianaGreen]

Unsafe roads thanks to Mitch Daniels!

State cuts dozens of police inspector jobs

Updated: Dec 07, 2009 6:19 PM EST
Essex/Eyewitness News

Indianapolis - About 40 state police employees will lose their jobs at the end of the month as a result of job cuts by the state.

These are the members of the Indiana State Police that do not carry a gun, they carry a ticket book.

"They are the front line for truck safety," said Kenny Cragen, president of the Indiana Motor Truck Association.

They are the eyes on the trucks, the hands on the school bus, in the trucking industry, they are called the inspectors.

"School bus inspections are done by motor carrier personnel as well as state police troopers," said ISP Sgt. Dave Bursten.

Today, Indiana has 83 motor vehicle inspectors. On January 1, that number gets cut in half as a product of a faltering economy.

"We are like every other private organization, every other government organization, we are taking this on a day-by-day basis and we are working with what's available," Sgt. Bursten said. "Every state has a finite amount of resources and the state of Indiana is no different."

There is some question if this is the right place to make cuts. The inspectors have historically been overworked and spread too thin.

http://www.wthr.com/global/story.asp?s=11636864

[caraher]

1. deregulation by nonfeasance

Nothing like a budget crunch to let the executive dictate which laws to enforce through public hand-wringing over fiscal responsbility

[LiberalFighter]

2. How many school buses will slip pass inspection and endanger the children?

[IndianaGreen]

3. Apparently our governor is more interested in trumpeting money saved

than lives saved.

[plantwomyn]

4. If they ticketed the trucks that run overloaded and speed

they could pay off the deficit. Seriously, the trucks that run between 80 and 94 on 39 alone could fund these inspectors. At night the whole road shakes from overloaded trucks flying between the tollway and 94. The minimum the tickets could fund is to repair the damage these overloaded trucks do to 39. Sen. Arnold's road was totally repaved, while they patched 39 and didn't replace the center line reflectors. It's a 2 lane black hole where trucks fly by a 70mph.