Whitmer signs bills increasing road patrol funding by 50%

LANSING, Mich. (WNEM) - Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed three bipartisan bills on Sept. 27 to increase funding for the Secondary Road Patrol program.

According to the governor’s office, the bills will increase the SRP fund by $5 million each year, up from $10 million to $15 million.

The bills will put more officers on the road, improve recruitment and retention efforts, and bolster training, Whitmer said.

“As a former prosecutor, public safety is a top priority for me,” Whitmer said. “No one should feel unsafe as they go to work, drop their kids off at school, or run errands in their neighborhoods.”

The bills build on the MI Safe Communities program the governor launched last summer to invest in local police, get illegal guns off the street, and expand opportunities in jobs, education, and the justice system.

The funding, according to the governor’s office, comes from the liquor fund. The additional funding will be used to add officers to the road, and the consistent funding source will allow sheriff departments to plan better and give officers more employment stability, improving their recruitment and retention efforts.