The Department of State Police (VSP) was legislatively directed to submit this report to assist policymakers in evaluating the effectiveness of the targeted pay increases appropriated in 2022 in reducing the sworn vacancy rate. In preparing its report, VSP evaluated current and historical vacancy rates, trooper application volume, hiring data, employee turnover, and retirement and other employment separation data. The findings of this study can be summarized as follows:

• The $21. 7 million appropriated to VSP for targeted pay increases in FY23 were based on the recommendations of a legislatively empaneled Workgroup consisting of VSP, the Department of Human Resource Management, and the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission. This Work group was directed to develop a $20 million plan to respond to sworn recruitment and retention issues at VSP. Establishing a $20 million target, as well as time constraints, limited the Workgroup's ability to fully assess and respond to market factors to ensure trooper salaries were competitive in the regional market.

• Despite these limitations, the funding of a sworn pay package for VSP was highly successful in halting the steep rate of increase in sworn vacancies. This flattening of the curve has helped VSP to forestall the looming threat to operational effectiveness posed by the escalating vacancy rate.

• The primary factor in stabilizing VSP's vacancy rate is reduced sworn employee turnover. Since the Workgroup report, the non-retirement separation rate fell to slightly below the historic average of 2.9%, and retirements dropped precipitously to less than half of the pre-2022 average.

• In contrast, the number of trooper applicants has only increased slightly and remains far below historic norms. Hiring, meanwhile, has recovered from a dramatic decline in 2021 but remains well below the level needed to fill trooper basic schools. This is true despite numerous innovative and proactive measures VSP has taken to improve recruiting and retention rates.

• The combination of improved turnover, driven largely by deferred retirements, and low application volume present a risk of resurgent vacancies by 2025 if VSP cannot increase applicant volume before those who delayed retirement decide to exit the workforce.