Max Smith, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – Virginia State Police are trying to inch their way back to a full force after years of budget slashing caused a dip in the number of law enforcement officers.

Spokeswoman Corrine Geller says that as of earlier this month, the agency is 196 officers short of the 2,012 sworn officers it is authorized to employ.

Geller blames much of that on budget cuts over the last few years, but says things are heading in the right direction with 80 new troopers set to leave the academy on Mar. 2 and 100 more set to enroll Feb. 25.

On top of the 196 vacancies right now, a state police study has found that “beyond our existing strength