The PennZone

Scranton, PA ~ Today, Governor Josh Shapiro visited the Lackawanna College Police Academy in Scranton to discuss his proposed budget which seeks to fill critical worker shortages and build safer communities.

The Governor was joined by Scranton Police Chief Thomas Carroll, who expressed his appreciation for the Governor's understanding of the seriousness of staffing needs and proposed recruitment incentives for public safety positions.

Pennsylvania is home to nearly 1,000 state and local law enforcement agencies, but is currently facing a shortage of more than 1,200 municipal police officers. Additionally, roughly 1 in 5 9-1-1 dispatch positions are vacant - with Northeastern Pennsylvania having an even higher vacancy rate.

In order to address these workforce shortages, Governor Shapiro's budget proposes $24.7 million in job retention and recruitment efforts to attract more nurses, police officers, and teachers. This includes a refundable tax credit for new workers in those fields which could put up to $2,500 back in their pocket every year for up to three years.

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The budget also proposes $16.4 million for four new Pennsylvania state trooper cadet classes in 2023-24 which would hire and train 384 new troopers - helping to fill staffing gaps and provide more coverage across the Commonwealth. To sustainably fund the Pennsylvania State Police, the budget creates a Public Safety and Protection Fund which would reduce PSP's reliance on the Motor License Fund while ensuring law enforcement has the resources they need to keep our communities safe.

Finally, the budget creates stable funding for 911 dispatch services, supports firefighters and EMS providers, and invests in violence prevention.

Governor Shapiro's comprehensive approach seeks to make it easier for good people to become police officers while providing them with necessary resources so that they can keep Pennsylvanians safe. With this budget proposal, he hopes that it will help build safer communities across the Commonwealth.

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