Missouri Water Patrol Could Lose Jobs, Interns

The Missouri Water Patrol wasn’t able to fill any of its intern positions last year, and is facing the same problem again this year. In addition, it may have to cut the number of employed officers.

In his proposed budget, Governor Jay Nixon wants to eliminate five million dollars from the Department of Public Safety’s budget, which includes the Water Patrol.

House Representative Wayne Cooper says the potential loss of 22 officers could be devastating.

“When you combine that with the internship program that’s going to be taken away, this summer we’re going to have a huge manpower shortage; and already when you have an emergency or something on one end of the lake… it can be a long wait sometimes getting [rescuers] there.”

If Nixon’s proposed budget is approved, the Lake of the Ozarks alone will lose nine officers and four interns. A loss this great could result in delayed response time and heavier workloads.