State troopers are receiving a little help in keeping Michigan safer.
$15.2 million will be used to fund the training of 107 troopers at the Michigan State Police Training Academy. These new troopers will then patrol roadways and communities across Michigan.
Officers say although it's difficult to become a state trooper, once the training is complete it's one of the most rewarding life experiences.
Currently, state police say they only have approximately 900 troopers on the road, and are hoping to get their numbers back up to full force of near 1,500. They have put more troopers in inner cities, and have since seen crime rates lower and youth programs become successful.
Michigan State Trooper Rich Hall stated, "It makes the streets safer. We have a lot of cities in Michigan that are high crime rate cities, and the governor's and colonel's idea is to make those cities safer, but also there's a lot of crime in the rural counties as well as small towns. We'll put troopers in the cities as well as out in the country, up north in Michigan, and in the U.P."
There is an academy graduation in a few weeks, and another academy of over 100 new troopers starting training in May.
