There are critics of the way that the Georgia State Patrol opts to combat drunk driving, and it is not the first time that they've spoken up to point out flaws and offer recommendations.
In 2005, the state's Department of Public Safety issued a study concluding that a number of state trooper posts throughout Georgia were either redundant or built in the wrong places. The department recommended decreasing the number of posts, stating that doing so would free up more troopers for duty where they were needed most -- on state roads -- and save well more than $1 million.
A recent state audit repeats much of that earlier admonition, noting in the 62-page report it released earlier this month that Georgia would be well served by cutting the number of its patrol posts in half. Doing so, auditors say, would put more than 100 troopers back out on road duty, where they could better monitor DUI driving activities and help prevent accidents. Additionally, a cut in physical locations would free up a considerable amount of money that the state could apply to other programs.
The auditors' report states that too many troopers are presently doing administrative jobs, which leaves too few on the road to do traffic-related, investigative and crash-prevention work
The audit takes special aim at the paucity of troopers working on state roads and highways after 8 p.m. and on weekends, when most DUI-related accidents occur. Investigators say that there are "virtually no troopers" on the road between midnight and 5 a.m.
Source: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, "Ga. Patrol reviewing staffing after state audit" Nov. 13, 2011
