As Commissioner of the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, and as a motorist who has been driving the Merritt Parkway for my entire law enforcement career, I’d like to respond to Dr. Joe Bentivegna’s recent opinion article titled “Where are the CT State Police?” First of all, we are right here. Ronnell Higgins Troopers are enforcing traffic laws every day of the year and around the clock – on the Merritt and on other state highways across the state. I am grateful for Dr. Bentivegna’s understanding of how difficult it can be for troopers to enforce traffic laws, particularly on dark, congested highways. I am responsible for making sure our troopers enforce the traffic laws on state highways from Greenwich to Stonington to Enfield to Union. At DESPP, we are keenly aware of the spike in reckless driving across Connecticut and the nation. I am committed to doing everything in our power to address it. Dr. Bentivegna is mistaken when he states that “it appears that the state police have abandoned enforcing the traffic regulations.” Along with Gov. Ned Lamont and the Connecticut Department of Transportation, traffic enforcement and highway safety remains our top priority. To answer another one of the questions posed by Dr. Bentivegna, there has been no “decision not to have police officers enforce the traffic laws on the Merritt Parkway.” It is the job of state troopers to enforce traffic laws on the Merritt Parkway. Period. Our ongoing Fatality Mitigation Initiative, which includes the Merritt Parkway, targets roadway hotspots with the highest number of crashes, fatalities and DUI arrests. We utilize extra patrols to boost enforcement in these areas. For our Troop G barracks, which covers much of the Merritt Parkway, we had a nearly 30 percent drop in fatal crashes in 2024 over 2023. Over the last five years, which includes the pandemic period, we have seen a decline in traffic stops on the Merritt. However, during this same period, we have also seen a significant increase in operating under the influence arrests and crashes. Both of these take more of a trooper’s time and often require multiple officers to be on the scene. Wrong-way driver detection systems have been installed on off ramps on the Merritt and Route 15 in Greenwich, Hamden, Hartford, New Haven, Norwalk, Stratford, and Wallingford as part of a statewide initiative led by the Department of Transportation. From the New York state line to the Sikorsky Bridge and beyond, our troopers are on the road. Clearing up crashes in the Heroes Tunnel, for example, is a too-often occurrence. But within minutes, motorists can count on troopers arriving on the scene. This is not an easy highway to patrol. Designed for tens of thousands of motorists, on any given day there are 80,000 to 100,000 vehicles on the winding parkway, coming and going on short entrance and exit ramps. We are living in a world where troopers face a confluence of dangerous factors: the reckless driving habits that emerged during the pandemic, the continuing threat from driving under the influence of alcohol, and the impact of cannabis use by some motorists are a few. As a lifelong law enforcement officer, I am amazed at the number of people who speed off when a trooper turns the lights and sirens on, knowing that polices prohibit a reckless and dangerous high-speed pursuit. I appreciate Dr. Bentivegna’s willingness to speak out in support of safer driving. I welcome Dr. Bentivegna to dial 911 when he sees a reckless driver. Dispatchers stand ready to take any information from a motorist who is witnessing a dangerous driving situation. Could we use more troopers? Absolutely. Would speed-enforcement cameras and license plate readers help my troopers? Certainly. I welcome a frank discussion with our elected leaders about increasing fines and penalties for reckless and aggressive drivers. All of this is not a problem that the State Police, lawmakers, or highway engineers, can solve alone. What all of us do matters a great deal. Don’t drink or take drugs and drive. Follow the speed limit and traffic laws. Call 911 to report reckless driving. Let’s all work together to set a better example and save lives. Ronnell Higgins is the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection.