FHP Crashes in unincorporated areas

I'm getting tired of responses FHP has to crashes in unincorporated areas of Pinellas. I get it that FHP is spread thin, but thats FHP's problem. Especially when FHP responds to a busy area of the county and then expects us to stand by and direct traffic. Our calls for service dont stop just because theres a crash. We have to respond to every call, not just crashes. Last I checked FHP cruisers have light bars just like ours, even better Id say. Between the troopers and CSO's I think yall coudl start positioning your own cruisers in the road to handle traffic. I get it when you need more help, but not on every crash. I see more CSO's go 97, turn on there amber lights, then park on the side of the road where there car does nothing but add to the rubber necker attraction. Yall can cover most of your wrecks with your own cruisers. The next time you call for assistance on traffic control, maybe try doing what we have to do when we work crashes in the cities, do it yourself.

And before you start whining about how many crashes yall work, try working shootings, stabbings, rapes, murders, burglaries, robberies, thefts, domestics, frauds, and ALLLLLLLLLLL of the other crimes that the county and city cops work.

We have an average of 2-3 Troopers in the County per their shift, minus a Sgt or two. And thats full for them. Unfortunately our supervision is trying to push FHP out because of lack luster performances of time arrivals for FHP. This is 'poor customer service to the citizens of Polk County' according to our upper staff.

I agree Troopers are shortly staff and no matter what the 'ground workers' say, nothing will be done for the upper staff is fully staffed.

EVERY agency is understaffed, however, due to the Troopers being funded by the State, the State would rather fund parks and pave roads that do not need it then utilize the money for better pay and options or incentives for Troopers or to attract future law enforcement towards FHP.

I wish the Troopers luck, you have an uphill battle to fight. I work Traffic in our County, and typically when I arrive on crashes, most people are 30mins to two hours waiting. So I try to help, I pull up the FHP page to help. WHY???? Because they help me. I have very good friends that are Troopers, however, they are nearing retirement and the goof troop that is coming up behind them worries me about the future for FHP.

I do not argue with anyone on the staffing of manpower or tid bit stuff. Yes, I have my gripes and grumbles, but being understaff and underpaid is a problem with ANY public service. I did not sign up for this thinking I was going to make Boo-coo bucks and be blazing glory. I did this to help people.

But anyhow, we all need to stop fighting amongst ourselves and realize that the higher up a person goes in the quest for being the highest ranking supervisor in that agency, they loose more and more common sense for roadwork.

Later

I'm getting tired of responses FHP has to crashes in unincorporated areas of Pinellas. I get it that FHP is spread thin, but thats FHP's problem. Especially when FHP responds to a busy area of the county and then expects us to stand by and direct traffic. Our calls for service dont stop just because theres a crash. We have to respond to every call, not just crashes. Last I checked FHP cruisers have light bars just like ours, even better Id say. Between the troopers and CSO's I think yall coudl start positioning your own cruisers in the road to handle traffic. I get it when you need more help, but not on every crash. I see more CSO's go 97, turn on there amber lights, then park on the side of the road where there car does nothing but add to the rubber necker attraction. Yall can cover most of your wrecks with your own cruisers. The next time you call for assistance on traffic control, maybe try doing what we have to do when we work crashes in the cities, do it yourself.

And before you start whining about how many crashes yall work, try working shootings, stabbings, rapes, murders, burglaries, robberies, thefts, domestics, frauds, and ALLLLLLLLLLL of the other crimes that the county and city cops work.

Dude, just leave then. Many times I go to crashes and deputies/city units just sit there the whole time blocking traffic like they want to do it. They never come ask me if they can leave. Many times I tell them they can leave and I position my car in the proper position. Personally Id rather not even have any deputies on scene when I arrive to a crash unless it is a real mess. Usually they just hand me about 500 pieces of paper that I dont need. I just want the DL, reg, ins, and any witness info. Simple as that. Sometimes when I roll 97 on a crash I have like four or five 10-49 cars already on scene. I start thinking it must be a really bad crash, but I soon find out it's a simple rear ending with no injuries and almost no road blockage. Why are there 4 deputies/city units on scene? I just figure you guys are really bored. During the days I dont really get this but on mids I ALWAYS have multiple deputies/city units on scene before I get there.

Also I rarely get cars that can't be moved out of the roadway. Unless they are completely destroyed, rolled over, or sitting on the frame, you can usually pop the fuel pump reset switch, fire them up, and drive them right off the road. I have come onto crash scenes (those of 10-49 and other troopers) where cars are sitting in the road for 30 mins and yet they can easily be drove off or pushed off by hand.

I'm getting tired of responses FHP has to crashes in unincorporated areas of Pinellas. I get it that FHP is spread thin, but thats FHP's problem. Especially when FHP responds to a busy area of the county and then expects us to stand by and direct traffic. Our calls for service dont stop just because theres a crash. We have to respond to every call, not just crashes. Last I checked FHP cruisers have light bars just like ours, even better Id say. Between the troopers and CSO's I think yall coudl start positioning your own cruisers in the road to handle traffic. I get it when you need more help, but not on every crash. I see more CSO's go 97, turn on there amber lights, then park on the side of the road where there car does nothing but add to the rubber necker attraction. Yall can cover most of your wrecks with your own cruisers. The next time you call for assistance on traffic control, maybe try doing what we have to do when we work crashes in the cities, do it yourself.

And before you start whining about how many crashes yall work, try working shootings, stabbings, rapes, murders, burglaries, robberies, thefts, domestics, frauds, and ALLLLLLLLLLL of the other crimes that the county and city cops work.

Dude, just leave then. Many times I go to crashes and deputies/city units just sit there the whole time blocking traffic like they want to do it. They never come ask me if they can leave. Many times I tell them they can leave and I position my car in the proper position. Personally Id rather not even have any deputies on scene when I arrive to a crash unless it is a real mess. Usually they just hand me about 500 pieces of paper that I dont need. I just want the DL, reg, ins, and any witness info. Simple as that. Sometimes when I roll 97 on a crash I have like four or five 10-49 cars already on scene. I start thinking it must be a really bad crash, but I soon find out it's a simple rear ending with no injuries and almost no road blockage. Why are there 4 deputies/city units on scene? I just figure you guys are really bored. During the days I dont really get this but on mids I ALWAYS have multiple deputies/city units on scene before I get there.

Also I rarely get cars that can't be moved out of the roadway. Unless they are completely destroyed, rolled over, or sitting on the frame, you can usually pop the fuel pump reset switch, fire them up, and drive them right off the road. I have come onto crash scenes (those of 10-49 and other troopers) where cars are sitting in the road for 30 mins and yet they can easily be drove off or pushed off by hand.

I have to agree, especially about the cars blocking the roadway. Please, move the damn vehicles!!!!

HAHAHAH, in my county, brother (Pinellas), you dont have 4-5 deputies sitting on a crash. In fact if its off the road they wait for you or a CSO. In my opinion they should disband FHP and beef up all of the sheriff's offices. FHP is a redundant, understaffed, unmanaged mess of ticket writers and crash investigators. And Troopers wouldnt know what to do with witness information if it hit them in the head!!

[quote="Anonymous"]HAHAHAH, in my county, brother (Pinellas), you dont have 4-5 deputies sitting on a crash. In fact if its off the road they wait for you or a CSO. In my opinion they should disband FHP and beef up all of the sheriff's offices. FHP is a redundant, understaffed, unmanaged mess of ticket writers and crash investigators. And Troopers wouldnt know what to do with witness information if it hit them in the head!![/quote

If its an FHP wreck, why do you even respond. Instead of complaining on here, why dont you contact your local legislator. They are the tight wads who keep FHP the way it is, not FHP.

We respond because unlike FHP in Pinellas & hillsborough county, somebody has to check the injured and direct traffic for the 30-45 minutes it takes FHP to get on scene. I agree with the above poster in that you all are not in the least bit effective in the suburban areas where traffic enforcement is needed! I see FHP writing tickets in remote stretches of highways where hardly any crashed ever occur because somebody found themselves a honey whole. Why don't you all do some enforcement where it is needed and people are dying.....if not then I agree that the agency should be disbanded for lack of effectiveness. Nobody is denying that that agency is shorthanded, but how bout some leadership decisions and assigning troopers to where they are needed in the suburban areas instead of relying on the local Police & Sheriff to do your job.

AMEN :!: :!:

By reading the above posts and considering that Hillsborough County alone is leading the way in deaths on the roadway, why is Fhp not assigning more officers to this area. The local Leo's (Hillsborough County) are also shorthanded and have to work every kind of call for service, not just wrecks. It sounds like it's time for the Fhp brass to revamp the agency and consider redeployment options. If however, Fhp is full of big ego leadership, I'm sure they could care less how screwed up your agency is regardless of how many people are dying needlessly due to ZERO enforcement in the tampa area.

By reading the above posts and considering that Hillsborough County alone is leading the way in deaths on the roadway, why is Fhp not assigning more officers to this area. The local Leo's (Hillsborough County) are also shorthanded and have to work every kind of call for service, not just wrecks. It sounds like it's time for the Fhp brass to revamp the agency and consider redeployment options. If however, Fhp is full of big ego leadership, I'm sure they could care less how screwed up your agency is regardless of how many people are dying needlessly due to ZERO enforcement in the tampa area.

This is exactly what we have been griping about for like 15 years now.

FHP is the smallest and most understaffed agency in Hillsborough and Pinellas Co. The way it is now, FHP pretty much just responds to calls. Troopers in Hillsbourogh Co. leave FHP in droves to go to other agencies so one can see why theres a manpower issue. The motto is do more with less these days.