Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed three bipartisan bills increasing funding for the Secondary Road Patrol program into law on Tuesday. The bills are designed to keep drivers safe in their communities by putting more officers on the road, improving recruitment and retention efforts and bolstering training.
The bills build on the MI Safe Communities program the governor launched last summer to invest in local police, get illegal guns off the street, and expand opportunities in jobs, education, and the justice system.
“As a former prosecutor, public safety is a top priority for me,” Whitmer said. “Today’s bipartisan bills will improve road safety by putting more officers out on patrol. The 50% increase in funding for the SRP program will also improve law enforcement recruitment and retention by bolstering the funding stream and enabling sheriff departments to give their officers more stability. I will work with anyone to protect public safety, and I am proud of the bipartisan budget I signed earlier this year that ensures law enforcement at every level, from the MSP to local departments, have the resources they need to keep people safe.
“No one should feel unsafe as they go to work, drop their kids off at school, or run errands in their neighborhoods. Let’s work together to protect public safety and keep drivers safe on the road.”
Together, the bills will increase the SRP fund by $5 million each year, from $10 million to $15 million. The funds can be used for employing additional personnel, purchasing equipment, enforcing laws in state and county parks, and providing selective motor vehicle inspection programs.
“I am thankful that both Governor Whitmer and the Legislature came together with a commonsense solution to the Sheriffs’ secondary road patrol concerns,” said Matt Saxton, Executive Director of the Michigan Sheriff’s Association. “These bills provide for stability in funding that will put additional deputies on our road to provide improved public safety response throughout the state of Michigan.”
