Among Gov. Mark Sanford's list of priorities is $54 million in recurring money that would be earmarked for salaries and equipment for law enforcement officers. He advocates $32 million for salaries for 100 for the Highway Patrol, 40 for the Department of Natural Resources, 250 for the Departments of Corrections and Juvenile Justice and a 20 for the State Law enforcement Division. He also suggests $22 million in one-time money for cars and equipment for the agencies.
The emphasis on law and order is necessary, but it may come at the expense of other agencies that are farther down on the governor's classification of 1,400 government functions.
The Highway Patrol and Department of Natural Resources have been hit particularly hard by budget cuts. Many claim that a lack of troopers on state highways has led to an increase in traffic accidents and deaths. Statistics confirm the statements. Data released by U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta in August showed that South Carolina bucked the national trend of a decrease in highway deaths. Through July 597 people had died on S.C. roads this year, an increase from 538 deaths through a similar span in 2003, a 10 percent increase. This is after an 8.1 percent dip in road deaths in 2002 and 2003. Through Wednesday, the increase had dropped to 5 percent over 2003 but still 959 people have died on S.C. roads.
In mid-summer, a S.C. Department of Public Safety spokesperson attributed the increase in deaths to a lack of Highway Patrol troopers on the road.
Budget cuts also have been detrimental to the Departments of Natural Resources, Corrections and Juvenile Justice.
DNR's budget has been slashed by $13 million annually since 2001, resulting in the loss of at least 275 jobs; 80 of those were in law enforcement.
Corrections has lost more than $50 million (14 percent) since the 2000-01 budget cycle. Cuts have cost the system more than 500 guards at the same time that the prison population has increased by about 10 percent. The same has happened at Juvenile Justice.
Law and order should be a priority, but mental health and education should be priorities for the state Legislature, too. Lawmakers continue to underfund both of these important areas.
The good news is that lawmakers may have more money to work with next year. The economic forecast projected at this week's Economic Outlook Conference on Monday at the University of South Carolina says jobs and wages probably will grow next year.
Lawmakers also have to deal with the remainder of the governor's reorganizations proposals. Some of those, including a top to bottom analysis of where state dollars are spent, will help establish priorities necessary to move the state forward. In the meantime, public safety is getting long overdue attention, and possibly crash corridor will much more attention from state troopers.