Col. Jerry Russell, director of the Idaho State Police, is up for his budget presentation to JFAC this morning. Not only is he in uniform, there are lots of dark uniforms in the audience as staffers are accompanying him. Rep. Maxine Bell, R-Jerome, who's chairing the joint budget committee today, remarked, "I'm not sure if I feel extremely protected this morning or extremely nervous."

Russell said he is proposing three pieces of legislation this year: Extending a law on assault/battery of certain on-duty personnel to include POST decertification staffers and emergency services dispatchers; increasing the POST fee from $10 to $11.50; and making notification requirements consistent with regard to all towed or stored vehicles.

Russell said ISP's mission is public safety, provided through its investigations, patrol and police services programs. "In fiscal years 2009-2011, our greatest challenges have been providing these services while managing a 44.3 percent reduction in general funds from the initial fy 2009 appropriation," he said "ISP's holdbacks and base reductions were achieved primarily by reducing operating expenditures and by holding open vacant positions, a strategy begun midway through FY 2009. Among those: Six vacant detective positions are being held open in investigations; and nine patrol positions, in addition to seven troopers who are gone on active military duty. "Our budget reduction strategies since FY 2009 have allowed us to retain critical FTPs (full-time position authorizations), and when funding is available, I hope to fill open positions by priority of need again," Russell said.