What a Difference a Year Makes...
#ISupportCSP
The 2024 legislative session is underway, and the Colorado State Patrol Association is busy down at the state Capital working on addressing the needs of our members and our agency.
This year, the CSPA is working on ensuring that the Trooper Pay Statute is funded as required. We are also working on protecting the financial security and well-being of the surviving spouses and families of Colorado State Troopers killed in the line of duty. The CSPA is also monitoring and supporting legislation that improves traffic safety on Colorado’s roadways.
At the start of last year, the Colorado State Patrol was suffering from high rates of trooper attrition. Non-competitive salaries, caused by the improper funding of the Trooper Pay Statute, hampered the patrol’s ability to hire new troopers and retain the experienced troopers it already employed. Traffic fatalities were at a record high. Thanks to your support, we were able to change all that. Funding was approved to bring trooper salaries in line with what is required in the Trooper Pay Statute. By the end of 2023, the state patrol saw a significant drop in trooper attrition rates, and an increase in the number of new troopers hired. In fact, 2023 was the first year since 2019, that the state patrol was able to hire more troopers than it had lost. Traffic fatalities decreased for the first time since 2019 from their record high in 2022.
Despite our successes in 2023, there is still much more to do in 2024. The latest salary survey has shown that trooper salaries have again dropped below what is required in the Trooper Pay Statute, and traffic fatalities involving pedestrians reached a record high 2023. Your support is crucial in helping us fix the issues we currently face.
-Colorado State Patrol Association
About #ISupportCSP
#ISupportCSP was created to educate and inform people of the challenges facing the Colorado State Patrol and its employees.
The patrol consists of more than just our troopers. Our ranks include Port of Entry Officers, Communication Officers, and our Professional Staff members. Each of our unique units work with one goal in mind…to save lives.
Now, more than ever, Colorado needs a strong and effective state patrol. In 2023, 716 people died on Colorado’s roadways. Unfortunately, it doesn’t end there. Pedestrian and bicycle fatalities in 2023 increased significantly from 2022.
Your help and support are paramount to our success.
THE ISSUES
Trooper Pay
The latest salary survey shows trooper pay has again fallen below what is required in the Trooper Pay Statute…
In the late 1990’s, the Colorado State Patrol faced the same crisis with trooper staffing levels that it faces today. The CSP was unable to hire new troopers or retain the experienced troopers it already employed due to uncompetitive salaries. To address the critically low numbers of State Troopers, the CSP worked with a bipartisan group of law makers to create what is known as the “Trooper Pay Bill.” The bill was designed to ensure that the State of Colorado and the CSP would always remain competitive, in regard to pay, with city and county law enforcement agencies to ensure adequate trooper staffing levels on our roadways. The Trooper Pay Bill was passed into law in July of 2000. Known formally as C.R.S 24-50-104(1)(a)(III)(A), C.R.S., the statute states regarding trooper pay:
“…the amount of salary shall be at least ninety-nine percent of the actual average salary provided to the top three law enforcement agencies within the state that have both more than one hundred commissioned officers and the highest actual average salary.”
If the Trooper Pay Statute exists, then why are troopers still underpaid compared to other Colorado law enforcement agencies? The answer is in the Department of Personnel and Administration’s (DPA) inconsistent interpretation of the Trooper Pay Statute for over two decades.
A couple of years ago, after years of not following the Trooper Pay Statute, Colorado started to see the same problem (i.e., well-trained troopers were leaving the State Patrol to work at other law enforcement agencies at significantly higher salaries). Beginning last year, the CSPA worked with the DPA to create a process that will hopefully ensure the Trooper Pay Statute is met each year. This process starts in the summer when CSPA meets with DPA and communicates which three departments the CSPA believes are the highest paid for each state trooper job class. To determine these departments, the CSPA conducts its own salary survey. DPA then conducts its own analysis as part of its Annual Compensation Report.
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Last year, DPA’s salary survey showed, “Overall pay comparison shows State Troopers are 10.8% below the weighted market average (weighted by class size) for the top three law enforcement jurisdictions within the State of Colorado.” Those salary increases were included in last year’s Long Bill. On July 1, 2023, the salary increases went into effect and trooper salaries became competitive with other law enforcement agencies. The statistics show that when properly applied, the Trooper Pay Statute works. Last year’s pay increase has already yielded successful results for trooper retention and hiring. Since the pay increase went into effect, the number of troopers who voluntarily left the state patrol from July to December of 2023 dropped by 50% when compared to the same period in 2022. In fact, 2023 was the first year since 2019 that the state patrol has hired more people than it has lost.
We seem to be back on track. However, The FY 2024-25 Annual Compensation Report indicated state trooper job classes were between 0.9% and 10.2% below the 99% threshold in the Trooper Pay Statute. Those increases were included in the State Patrol’s salary survey request for FY 2024-25. It is important that these salary increases are included in this year’s Long Bill and become law, because as the General Assembly said back in 2000 when they passed the law, “to maintain appropriate salaries for state troopers and to increase retention rates of troopers in order to ensure that a well-qualified state patrol force is serving the residents of Colorado.”
Click here to learn what you can do to help us with this issue.
News & Updates About This Issue...
On Tuesday, March 5th, 2024, the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) finally got to figure setting for the Department of Public Safety’s budget for next year. The JBC approved both State Patrol decision items. The first provides additional money to improve the State Patrol’s recruiting efforts and the second provides additional professional staff to free up uniformed staff to focus on their primary duties. However, the most important item was the approval of the State Patrol’s salary survey request to fund the Trooper Pay Statute. This is only the beginning of the process, and the budget has a long way to go before it is final, but the current level of funding should be sufficient to bring the averages of all trooper job classes to 99% of the three highest paid law enforcement agencies in Colorado. DPA calculated these average increases for FY 2024-25 as follows:
State Patrol Cadet: 6.1%
State Patrol Trooper I: 0.9%
State Patrol Trooper II: 4.2%
State Patrol Trooper III: 4.8%
State Patrol Supervisor I (Corporal): 8.8%
State Patrol Supervisor II (Sergeant): 10.2%
State Patrol Admin I (Captain): 6.8%
State Patrol Admin II (Major): 3.6%
Click here to learn what you can do to help us with this issue.
Surviving Spouses
The unanticipated cost of a line of duty death…
This legislative session, the Colorado State Patrol Association asked Rep. Sheila Lieder (D-Littleton) and Rep. Ryan Armagost (R-Berthoud) to introduce a bill that would amend the workers’ compensation law for surviving spouses of state workers in high-risk job classifications who are killed in the line of duty. HB24-1139 Death Benefit for State Employee Surviving Spouse is a bipartisan bill that is being sponsored by Rep. Sheila Lieder, Rep. Ryan Armagost, Sen. Perry Will (R-New Castle) and Sen. Tony Exum (D-Colorado Springs).
Under the current workers’ compensation law, a death benefit is paid to a widow or widower for life or until remarriage. HB24-1139 would remove remarriage from the law, so a widow or widower of certain state employees would continue to receive the death benefit even after remarrying.
Why is this important? By stopping the death benefit after remarriage, the current law keeps the surviving spouse and their children trapped in the trauma of their loss and prevents them from moving on with their lives. HB24-1139 helps heal the trauma and allows surviving spouses to move forward with their lives by providing much needed financial security. The troopers who have died in the line of duty, in most cases, were the primary, and sometimes the only, income source for the family. Fortunately, the number of troopers killed in the line of duty is few, but the needs of the surviving spouse and their family are many.
As of this writing, the bill would cover the spouses of Colorado State Patrol Troopers, Port of Entry Officers, CBI agents, corrections officers, parole officers, state firefighters, parks and wildlife officers, and CDOT safety and maintenance employees.
Supporting this bill recognizes and honors our state’s first responders and highway workers who put their lives on the line every day for a better Colorado. It’s the least we can do for those workers on the frontline that provide critical services to the people of Colorado. Click the button below to read in their own words why this legislation is important to surviving spouses and their families.
News & Updates About This Issue...
April 4th, 2024
Great news! The Governor signed HB24-1139 at a signing ceremony at the State Capitol. Velma Donahue, DJ Jursevics, and Amy Moden were in attendance at the ceremony. Also at the ceremony were the bill’s sponsors Rep. Sheila Lieder (D-Littleton), Rep. Ryan Armagost (R-Berthoud), Sen. Perry Will (R-New Castle), and Sen. Tony Exum (D-Colorado Springs). Several Colorado State Troopers also attended the ceremony.
Thank you to everyone involved for recognizing the need to protect the surviving spouses of our fallen heroes.
March 15th, 2024
The House concurred with the Senate amendment and repassed the bill. The bill will now be sent to the Governor for his consideration. Governor Polis is expected to sign HB24-1139!
March 13th, 2024
The Senate passed HB24-1139 on third reading and sent it back to the House to consider the Senate amendment to include POST-certified employees in the Department of Revenue and at institutions of higher education.
March 12th, 2024
The Senate passed HB24-1139 Death Benefit for State Employee Surviving Spouse on second reading.
March 7th, 2024
HB24-1139 Death Benefit for State Employee Surviving Spouse, was heard in the Senate Business Committee. Velma Donahue-Sandberg, Amy Moden, and DJ Jursevics testified in support of the bill. Lt. Colonel Jon Barba filled in for Chief Packard, who was out of town. As in the House, their testimony was essential to getting the bill passed unanimously. The Committee amended the jobs with a high-risk classification to include POST-certified employees in the Department of Revenue and at higher education institutions. The Committee then unanimously referred HB24-1139, as amended, to the Senate floor recommending it be placed on the consent calendar. Unlike the House, the Senate has a very helpful procedural tool called the consent calendar. It allows the Senate to pass multiple bills in one motion. The fact that HB24-1139 is on the consent calendar is very good news. It is scheduled to be heard on the Senate floor on March 12, 2024.
Click here to learn what you can do to help us with this issue.
Hear from your state legislators…
Senator Jeff Bridges
“Colorado State Patrol troopers are some of the most dedicated, highly trained, and honorable members of our state’s law enforcement community. Along with our gratitude, they deserve a paycheck reflecting that.”
Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer
“We can’t keep losing troopers. We need to pay them appropriately and make sure they’re at the salary they need to be. The JBC is focused on investing in public safety and matching pay with other top agencies. The General Assembly passed a law in 2000 that we have not been following and I feel very strongly that we need to adhere to those obligations.”
Hear what fellow Coloradoans have to say…
What can I do to help?
It’s very simple and easy to make a big impression. The Colorado State Patrol Association needs your help educating people about the issues we face. You can use the tools on this page to educate yourself about the challenging issues the Colorado State Patrol faces, sign up for email updates of our progress, and help share our story on your social media. You can also contribute financially to our campaign in different ways. First, you can donate to the campaign directly and help us pay for media advertisements, educational materials, and other campaign resources. You can join the Association by becoming an Associate Member. You can also purchase some of our memorabilia that not only funds our efforts, but allows you to show your support.
Be in the know
If you’d like to get updates on our progress and other ways you can support CSP then give us your name and email. You can even receive text alerts on your cell.
Get Social
If would help us a lot if you would take a moment of your time to spread the word about the issues we face and how they affect the entire state of Colorado.
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