 Even though
the agency was appropriated $15.4 million less than the
previous year in the recently approved state budget, the money was
more than anticipated, said state police Capt. Scott Compton.
That means the headquarters can stay open, and the agency doesn't
anticipate massive layoffs announced earlier this year.
However, the agency will still see a reduction in troopers
through attrition and retirements.
"We haven't seen all of the ramifications of the budget," Compton
said in a phone interview on Saturday.
On Thursday, Quinn signed a $24.9 billion budget that will trim
state spending by $1.4 billion. That includes cuts to schools,
hospitals and prisons.
Illinois State Police was allocated $272 million, which is a 5.4
percent reduction from $287.4 million the previous year.
In March, Jonathon Monken, the state police director, announced
the headquarter closures and plans to lay off more than 460
troopers, saying both cost-cutting measures were necessary because
of the state's financial crisis. The five offices on the chopping
block were in Litchfield, Carmi, Pecatonica, Macomb and Des Plaines.
The move angered sheriffs around Illinois, who called it a threat
to public safety, including increased response times for calls and
possible increases in traffic fatalities.
[Associated Press]
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