AUSTIN, Texas — There's no ice fishing in winter, and you might be able to fry an egg on a sidewalk most summer afternoons, but Matthew Zobel couldn't have been happier to be in the Lone Star State.
Zobel, 24, recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and had planned to become a Michigan state police officer. But a whopping budget deficit in Michigan forced the layoffs of 100 troopers in June and canceled his recruit class, and more cuts to law enforcement are expected.
Enter Texas, one of the few states still hiring troopers.
With more than 200 commissioned officer vacancies to fill, the state Department of Public Safety is ramping up recruiting in states where law enforcement officers are getting the ax.
Recently, Zobel was in Austin to complete the final round of pre-hiring exams.
"There are a lot of outstanding, experienced candidates out there now, and we're going to be more aggressive and creative in how we find the very best people to fill our jobs," said DPS Director Steve McCraw.
For the department, which has struggled with chronic shortages of qualified candidates in the past, the new initiatives could attract better-qualified applicants and allow the state to train and field new troopers at a faster pace. For Texans, it could mean more troopers on the road sooner to help ensure public safety.
"It's the first time we've done something like this, but we're trying new things," said Tom Clowe, a member of the Texas Public Safety Commission, which oversees the department.
While Texas has recruited out of state to fill DPS jobs for years, the new initiatives go further. Recruiters recently traveled to Michigan to give applicants initial tests, a first, and the department is actively recruiting troopers in other states where layoffs are sidelining experienced law enforcement officers.
"While other states are experiencing budget problems, Texas is still hiring," McCraw said. "Our economy is still stable. We have affordable housing. There's no state income tax. The job market is still good. Texas has a lot to offer right now."
Cpl. Arminda Henke, a DPS recruiter, said the department is attending job fairs across the country and has visited military bases in North Carolina and California in search of qualified applicants.
"We have had very good response, so far," she said.
The state's foray into Michigan has paid off in small numbers — but officials say that's partly because Texas has higher hiring standards than some other states and is stepping up recruiting after recent layoffs in other states. Of 14 applicants from Michigan, Henke said, seven remain on the list for possible hiring.
In the past, officials said, DPS recruitment in states far from Texas has had mixed results, including a decade ago in Oregon, when most candidates chose to stay on the West Coast.
Most candidates might be "new boots," since Texas requires those who work as criminal investigators and Texas Rangers to have at least four years' Highway Patrol experience, officials said.
Even so, DPS Assistant Director David Baker, who heads the Texas Highway Patrol, said a 7 percent pay raise approved last spring by the Legislature — increasing the salary for troopers after one year's service to about $47,000 a year, a jump of about $2,000 — is helping lure candidates.
For Zobel, who has been working as a supermarket meat cutter in recent months, Texas offers an opportunity for a law enforcement career where there is none back home in Brighton, about midway between Lansing and Detroit.
"I can't see anything but positives for me to come to Texas," he said, standing under trees at the DPS headquarters complex. "The heat doesn't bother me."
Mike Ward writes for the Austin American-Statesman. E-mail: mward(at)statesman.com.