DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The head of the Iowa State Troopers Association says budget cuts have thinned ranks so much that many counties don’t have a trooper on duty overnight. The Des Moines Register reports that Iowa State Troopers Association President Darin Snedden met with legislators and staffers from the governor’s office Tuesday, asking the state to allocate funding to hire an additional 87 troopers.

Snedden says the Iowa State Patrol has 363 troopers, down from 455 in 2000 before repeated budget cuts. He wants the state to hire 29 more troopers a year, for three years. The cost of adding 29 troopers is $4.3 million in the first year and $2.9 million in subsequent years. Branstad’s budget does not include any funding for more troopers.