SRP Program Overview

Secondary Road Patrol Program Overview

The Secondary Road Patrol (SRP) program began on October 1, 1978, with 78 counties participating. On October 1, 1989, the program was transferred by Executive Order #1989-4 from the Department of Management Budget Office of Criminal Justice to the Department of State Police Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP).

OHSP is responsible for administering the SRP fund.  Before a county obtains its grant from the amount annually appropriated for secondary road patrol and traffic accident prevention, the county shall enter into an agreement for the secondary road patrol and traffic accident prevention services with the OHSP.

In each fiscal year, $15,000,000 of the proceeds deposited in the state treasury for taxes on the retail selling price of spirits must be allocated to the secondary road patrol and training fund (MCL 256.629e).  (A percentage of the proceeds are also allocated to MCOLES to administer the training to locals grant).

A county's share of the amount annually appropriated for secondary road patrol and traffic accident prevention must be the same percentage that the county received, or was eligible to receive, of the total amount allocated to all counties under section 12 of 1951 PA 51, MCL 247.662, less the amounts distributed for snow removal and engineers, during the period of July 1, 1976, through June 30, 1977.  As such, this funding formula has not changed since 1977.

The sheriff's office is the primary agency responsible for providing certain services on primary county roads and local roads outside the boundaries of cities and villages. The sheriff's office also provides these services on any portion of any other highway or road within the boundaries of a county park.

Services to be provided:

• Patrolling and monitoring traffic violations.
• Enforcing the criminal laws of this state, violations of which are observed by or brought to the attention of the sheriff's office while providing the services required by P.A. 416.
• Investigating accidents involving motor vehicles.
• Providing emergency assistance to persons on or near a highway or road patrolled as required by P.A. 416.

The sheriff's office can provide these services on secondary roads within a city or village if the legislative body of the local unit of government passes a resolution requesting the services, with the exception of taking complaints.

How funds can be spent:

Counties are required to enter into a contractual arrangement with OHSP in order to receive funds. Funds can be spent as follows:

• Employing additional personnel
• Purchasing additional equipment
• Enforcing laws in state and county parks
• Providing selective motor vehicle inspection programs
• Providing traffic safety information and education programs that are in addition to those provided before the effective date of P.A. 416, October 1, 1978

Allocation of funds under P.A. 416:

". . . a county's share of the amount annually appropriated for Secondary Road Patrol and Traffic Accident Prevention shall be the same percentage that the county received, or was eligible to receive, of the total amount allocated to all counties pursuant to Section 12 of Act No. 51 of the Public Acts of 1951, as amended, being Section 247.662 of the Michigan Compiled Laws, less the amounts distributed for snow removal and engineers, during the period of July 1, 1976 through June 30, 1977."

Maintenance of Effort (MOE):

SRP funds are mandated to supplement secondary road patrol efforts by counties, not to supplant, or replace county funding. Counties are ineligible for SRP funding if they reduce the level of county-funded road patrol (CFRP) deputies unless they can prove economic hardship and are forced to reduce general services commensurate with the reduction in road patrol. "An agreement entered into under this section shall be void if the county reduces its expenditures or level of road patrol below that which the county was expending or providing immediately before October 1, 1978, or October 1, 2021 (whichever year the expenditures or level or road patrol is lower), unless the county is required to reduce general services because of economic conditions and is not merely reducing law enforcement services" (Section 51.77(1)). This provision is known as the "Maintenance of Effort" (MOE). Counties are required to report the number of deputies they have at the beginning of each funding year. These figures are compared with those reported for October 1, 1978. If the county has fewer county supported road patrol deputies, they must either replace those personnel or prove economic hardship in order to receive SRP funds. If reductions become necessary, the county is required to report this to OHSP who will determine if the reduction meets the requirements of P.A. 416. 

To apply for SRP funding, an application must be completed and submitted by September 1 of each year to the Office of Highway Safety Planning through the grants management system (MGX).