Lansing Sun

The Secondary Road Patrol (SRP) program will receive more funds due to a series of bipartisan bills recently signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI).

According to a news release issued by the state government, the bills hope to promote driver safety by having more officers on patrol, along with more money for training and holding onto employees.

The bills are an extension of the MI Safe Communities program that Whitmer created last summer to improve local police forces through a multitude of methods.

“As a former prosecutor, public safety is a top priority for me,” Whitmer said in the release. “Today’s bipartisan bills will improve road safety by putting more officers out on patrol. The 50% increase in funding for the SRP program will also improve law enforcement recruitment and retention by bolstering the funding stream and enabling sheriff departments to give their officers more stability. I will work with anyone to protect public safety, and I am proud of the bipartisan budget I signed earlier this year that ensures law enforcement at every level, from the MSP to local departments, have the resources they need to keep people safe.”

Whitmer added that no one should feel unsafe at work, school or in their neighborhoods and these bills would keep drivers safe on the road.

House Bills (HB) 5569, 5732 and 5772 will enhance the SRP coffers from $10 million to $15 million with the SRP funding now relying less on the general fund and more on the liquor fund.

“I am thankful that both Governor Whitmer and the Legislature came together with a commonsense solution to the Sheriffs’ secondary road patrol concerns,” said Matt Saxton, Executive Director of the Michigan Sheriff’s Association. “These bills provide for stability in funding that will put additional deputies on our road to provide improved public safety response throughout the state of Michigan.”