Economy limiting services of local police

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Economy limiting services of local police

By Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY

The recession is altering local law enforcement in the U.S. by forcing some
agencies to close precincts, merge with other departments or even shut
down.
Once largely spared from the deepest budget cuts, some police
departments are struggling to provide basic services, police officials
say.
"For the first time, because of the economy, police departments ... may
have to change how they do business," says Chuck Wexler, executive director of
the Police Executive Research Forum, a law enforcement think tank. "People will
see a change in the basic delivery of services," from longer police response
times to a dramatically reduced police presence in some communities.
Harlan
Johnson, executive director of the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association, said
political leaders are "choosing whether they keep the streetsopenor the police
on patrol," though it's too early to tell whether the changes will increase
crime.
The Obama administration's $787 billion stimulus plan gives about $4
billion to local law enforcement, including $1 billion to hire and retain
officers. But the hiring money has not been distributed, and applicants have
requested more than is available.
Among the recent cuts:
• In
Pennsylvania, 19 suburban and rural police agencies have closed in the past 15
months, and seven others have cut patrols. The "unprecedented" closures and cuts
have forced the state police — who face their own budget struggles — to assume
full or partial public safety responsibility for about 54,000 more people, says
Lt. Col. Lenny Bandy, deputy commissioner of operations for the state
police.
• In Minnesota, nine small police agencies have closed in the past
five months, leaving sheriffs' departments to protect the public. The Elko New
Market Police Department was briefly the 10th shuttered agency, until residents
last month demanded that the City Council reverse its 2-week-old decision to
eliminate it. "A lot of people felt that we were sending a potentially dangerous
public message ... without a police department," says Mayor Jason Ponsonby, who
opposed the closure.
• In Portland, Ore., police are consolidating operations
by eliminating two of five patrol precincts. Portland police spokesman Greg
Pashley says some residents fear response times will rise and established
officers will be replaced by others who are unfamiliar with local problems. He
says the move, which takes effect in June, was needed to cut costs, but he
believes it will not compromise safety.
• In Southern California, Indio and
its neighbors Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City and Beaumont have
merged some key functions and also plan to combine dispatch operations to
increase efficiency. "It's the legacy of the budget crunch," Indio's Capt.
Richard Banasiak says.



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2008 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.