Current staffing levels do limit our capacity to deliver services. For example, officers working alone 67% of the time reduces their ability to respond to multiple incidents simultaneously, leading to delays and increased risks during critical situations. Additionally, a significant portion of an officer’s time, approximately 35%, is consumed by administrative tasks, further reducing their availability for patrol and immediate response. These limitations increase our reliance on mutual aid, which can lead to delays in backup and response times during emergent or simultaneous incidents.
Fortunately, due to our preventative approach and low crimes rates, residents become aware of these delays infrequently. When they do, I typically receive a call from the affected resident expressing concerns with a response time. I explain that there are often circumstances that require our officer to request additional support from another agency for safety purposes, or that another agency had to respond due to our officer being on another call. I also share that our current staffing constraints affect our ability to engage in proactive policing and community outreach, which are important for crime prevention and building public trust.