Ten Killed in New Year’s Holiday Crashes Investigated by State Police

Ten people were killed and 172 others were injured in the 552 crashes investigated by Pennsylvania State Police during the four-day New Year’s holiday driving period, Commissioner Frank Noonan announced today.

“Although the number of fatalities decreased by one compared to last year’s holiday driving period, the number of child safety seat violations and DUI arrests increased,” Noonan said.

From Dec. 30, 2011 through Jan. 2, 2012, State Police investigated a total of 552 crashes. Of those crashes, 79 were alcohol-related and involved two fatalities. Also, six of the 10 people who died in crashes were not wearing seat belts.

Troopers made 285 arrests for driving under the influence and issued 3,408 speeding citations during the holiday period. State Police also cited 379 individuals for failure to wear seat belts and issued citations to 51 drivers for failing to restrain children properly in child safety seats.

During last year’s four-day New Year’s holiday driving period, 11 people were killed and 220 others were injured in 693 crashes investigated by State Police.

The crash numbers cover only those incidents investigated by State Police and do not include statistics on crashes to which other law-enforcement agencies responded.

Facing budget cuts, Pennsylvania State Police forecast possibility of laying off 500 troopers

By JAN MURPHY, The Patriot-NewsThe Patriot-News





Imagine calling 911 for the Pennsylvania State Police and not seeing a trooper for hours, even days.

It’s a scenario that state lawmakers and troopers foresee if the department’s budget is cut 5 percent next year, forcing what would be the first layoffs in the state police history.

An internal department document obtained by The Patriot-News forecasts the potential for 400 to 500 trooper layoffs under a budget proposal to trim the department’s spending. That’s approximately 10 percent of the nearly 4,400 troopers currently employed by the department. The cuts would also force stations around the state to close.

The department provides full- or part-time police service to two-thirds of the state’s municipalities and is relied upon by virtually all police departments to provide specialized services such as DNA, drug and ballistics testing.

The situation doesn’t appear to look much better even if the department’s $900 million budget holds steady next year, according to the document.