Col. Jerry Russell, chief of the Idaho State Police, just presented stats to lawmakers in response to questions last month about the ISP's staffing. When compared to the six surrounding states - Wyoming, Montana, Nevada, Utah, Washington, and Oregon - Idaho ranks dead last for its number of troopers per citizen, with 11,288 citizens for every state trooper. Washington's at 8,874. When compared to states of similar size - New Mexico, West Virginia, New Hampshire, Nebraska and Maine - Idaho again ranks dead last, by a huge margin. "Findings from this analysis found that states with similar populations to Idaho have 1.5 to 4 times the amount of troopers on staff," Russell told lawmakers. He added, "We need 88 more troopers - minimum 88 more troopers - to ... get that 24-hour coverage out there on the state and interstate highways."