A handful of state troopers could be let go by July, the Connecticut state police union said fooling a meeting with state officials on Thursday.
“People dedicate their lives and are willing to give their lives to the state. You shouldn’t be laying off state troopers," Andrew Matthews, president of the police union, said.
The currently proposal would layoff five state troopers by July 1 and the union agreement requires six weeks of notice.
This year there are 252 fewer state troopers on the road than there were in 2009.
State lawmakers warn more layoffs may be unavoidable without wide-scale union concessions.
“If it came to the layoff of thousands of state employees, in many ways it would disable key functions of state government, so I’m certainly hoping it doesn’t come to that," Sen. Martin Looney, president pro-team, said.
Connecticut State Police said they are willing to work with the administration to find other savings that does not include losing officers.
Local
Sources in the governor's administration told NBC Connecticut there are fewer police officers needed than in decades before because crime is so low, but state police disagree.
A spokesman for Office of Policy and Management (OPM) told NBC Connecticut the agency will not comment on legal proceedings.
Chris McClure with OPM said, “We respect the ongoing legal process.”
The meeting comes a day after Gov. Dannel Malloy submitted a budget proposal to the legislature, which includes draining the state’s $235.6 million rainy day fund and making millions of dollars in cuts.
