Patrol's hiring needs are concern for all

It has been commonly accepted for several years that the Highway Patrol is understaffed. Currently, only 206 officers patrol Montana's thousands of miles of highway, and when you figure that those 206 officers have other duties as well, and also take days off like the rest of us, then you have many fewer who are actually on the road at any given time.

Although speeders may be happy not to see a patrol car as they go from border to border, those of us who are worried about the safety of our loved ones may take a different view. Indeed, when you think about breaking down on a Montana highway with snow falling and temperatures below zero, you start to see why it is so important to keep qualified officers on the road.

Just hiring more officers is not in itself the solution. In the past 11 years, 62 officers left the Highway Patrol because they could make more money working for other law-enforcement agencies. In addition, the low pay makes it hard to hire qualified applicants in the first place.

Therefore, a two-pronged approach is needed. Raising the base pay of Highway Patrol officers will bring better officers on board, and keep them there longer. And hiring extra officers will help to create a force which is not stretched too thin.

The question, of course, is how to accomplish these two goals.

Rep. Larry Jent, D-Bozeman, has proposed that Montana motorists should pay an additional $5 fee when they register their vehicles each year. This seems fairly reasonable, considering that it is the drivers of those cars who are most likely to need the services of the patrol.

It certainly makes more sense than tacking a fee onto auto insurance, as Jent originally proposed. That would have just penalized responsible drivers, and would have let scofflaws - those who don't bother to carry mandatory insurance - off the hook.

Still, there is some question whether adding a new fee to vehicle registrations is the way to go. For one thing, it doesn't take into account the fact that older cars in Montana can now be registered for life in order to eliminate the annual fee. Drivers who opted for that program for its convenience are not going to look kindly on being bothered with yet another annual fee. And many motorists consider Montana's registration fees too high already.

Sen. Dave Lewis, R-Helena, suggests funding the salary increase out of the gas tax, which is where the rest of the salary comes from. But Lewis and other Republicans are rightly leery of any tax or fee increase at all.

The Legislature will begin hearings on HB35 next week. It is a proposal that makes a serious contribution to public policy, and we wish legislators well in shaping a compromise that will accomplish what we all want - making our highways safer.