Still Short

 

Days was at -6.Afternoons was at -6. Nights is at -5. 

You can't keep running skeleton crews and expect anything but the thinnest layer of priority policing. 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Straight Pipe]

The fact is the low staffing won't get any better; maybe not even in your or my lifetime. The use of OT to fill shifts is a band aid that will burn out even the hardcore OT takers, as you can see now; having 4, 5, 6 below minimums even after hiring for OT slots.

Management and the mayor can tout that they are making gains in hiring (maybe, maybe not), but the truth is for the last 15-20 years, society has demonized and disrespected the LE profession so that young people won't even consider police work as a career. The applicant pool has shrunk so much that hiring standards are lowered. The result is a higher percentage of washouts.

Another sad truth is the lowering of standards will in the long run, the communities will see more cases of "officer misconduct". Officer misconduct is a vague term, but when the standards (drug use, minor criminal convictions, bad finance decisions, etc) are overlooked or given a pass, the current crop of new hires could have lower ethical/moral standards that may eventually creep into their LE profession. This will result in more excessive force complaints, theft accusations, drug use by officers, and other "misconduct" issues.

I hope I'm wrong, but ask me in 5-10 years and we'll check the stats and see.

[Pax]

As long as police are expected to live to a "higher standard" than their pay or training would suggest, police will keep running into the problems that stem from unrealistic expectations. It's a problem for teachers too, and several other professions.

Though regarding your city, personally, I think the issue is that the city has gotten too large to be realistically governed. It's more of a county than a city. They should break it up into more manageable chucks, each with their own mayor and police. The local government just can't realistically represent the full interests of the diverse area they presently govern. As a result, they often seem paralyzed as to how to proceed.

Anyway, heard you are retiring RD. Too bad we can't just make you younger and keep you going, since I really think you are what the city needs to keep.

Said it before: I really hope you publish this blog in a physical book. I'd buy a copy. It's good stuff.