The Kansas Highway Patrol is struggling to fill open positions for state troopers.
There are approximately 21 counties in Kansas that have no dedicated state trooper, and 34 that have only one. According to Kansas Highway Patrol Lieutenant Adam Winters, they currently have the fewest number of officers in about a decade.
Winters said a number of officers have retired in recent years and that applications to fill those positions aren’t coming in.
But they’re working to fix that.
“We’ve allocated a full-time trooper to recruiting efforts. He’s on Facebook, Instagram, Periscope and Twitter,” Winters said. "He’s very active at career fairs and college fairs.”
Winters said low staffing levels can limit their ability to help local law enforcement agencies and cover Kansas’ most rural areas.
He says the patrol is looking to attract veterans of the armed forces.
Gov. Sam Brownback has said the state highway patrol needs more funding.