Ga. State Patrol reduces highway presence

ATLANTA, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- State spending cuts are resulting in fewer state troopers patrolling Georgia roads beginning Saturday, officials said.

The Georgia State Patrol has begun furloughing personnel in a move that could result in removing officers from their assignments two days each month until the end of the year, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Saturday.

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue has not authorized the Department of Public Safety's planned furloughs, but Public Safety Commissioner Bill Hitchens says he has notified troopers they will probably see a 10 percent pay reduction beginning in August.

"All of this isn't finalized," Hitchens told the newspaper Saturday.

"We're looking at everything," he said, when asked about special events during which troopers sometimes travel long distances and food and lodging add to the cost of the service.

Troopers earned about $35,000 a year before the cuts, the newspaper said.