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The never-ending crisis: There are no police officers where they are needed the most

Large cities and states across the country are facing an unprecedented officer shortage. An area of Austin (Texas) was left without a single active officer for a few hours on a Saturday.

Imagen de defund police pintado en el suelo.

""Defund the police"" written on the floor (Flickr - kenfagerdotcom).

Published by
Verónica Silveri Pazos

The police shortage in Austin (Texas) is getting worse. City residents are concerned about long wait times for 911 calls to be answered.

The city's police department was severely defunded in 2020 ($150 million less than the budget, a 34% cut). This exacerbated officer shortages. The absence of police union contracts caused an increase in delinquency and crime. Even though the Texas Legislature passed a law the following year essentially forcing Austin to restore funding, the officer shortage persists.

Austin is on the "brink of collapse"

The shortage level reached its peak in February when an area of the city was left without a single active officer for a few hours on a Saturday. President of the Austin Police Association Michael Bullock, told Fox that the city is on the "brink of collapse":

Previous councils and leadership have actively worked against our officers and department, which has now put us in a free-falling staffing crisis," Bullock warned. "Twice now we’ve had our contract voted down or it has been allowed to expire. Each year since 2017, we’ve lost more officers than we’ve hired. We had to gut our specialized units and force detectives to work backfill on patrol just to try and respond to 911 calls (...) Our staffing has been set back at least 15 years and at the same time we’ve dealt with a population growth of over 250,000 new residents. 

Regarding defunding the police, Vice President of the Fraternal Order of Police Joe Gamaldi said that "what the Austin city council did was horrible for the community":

There is no one left to fill these shortages because the city council treats officers like scum. Now, responses are over 10 minutes for emergency calls. Some districts are left without staff. City council should learn their lesson over violent crime. 2021 was the highest ever for recorded murders and, since then, the murder rate continues to stay close to that high and looks like 2024 will not be any better. People are dying over bad decisions. 

New York City and Washington, D.C.

New York City is another case. The police department is experiencing an avalanche of resignations (voluntary discharges) and retirements. According to data revealed by the New York Post, more than 2,500 police officers left their jobs in 2023. This is "the fourth highest number in the past decade and 43% more than the 1,750 who hightailed it in 2018."

Recruitment is at a minimum and is going at a very slow pace. Additionally, the cuts to the police budget that were imposed by Mayor Eric Adams are so large "that the next five police academy classes are canceled." The reforms and anti-police laws implemented by many Democratic officials are one of the main reasons why officers leave the force.

The Metropolitan Police of Washington, D.C. is another example. Robert Contee - head of the department - told Fox News that his office employed hundreds fewer officers than when he began his position in 2021: "That is significant for our police department." Contee, who also spoke as a member of the Big City Chiefs Association, said the need for more staff and staff retention has "a big impact."

Police officers are out there working every day, when they are overworked it's because we don't have adequate staffing. That impacts judgment, it impacts officers' interactions with the community and it impacts a lot of things.

Other police departments face high levels of shortages. Among them:

- The Chicago Police Department was forced to lower its hiring standards due to staffing shortages. Police Superintendent David Brown asked for the city's “continued support and prayers” after the third suicide of a department officer in the last month.

- The Dallas Police Department is short 550 officers.

- The Portland Police Department is looking to fill more than 100 vacancies.

- In Seattle, Police Chief Adrián Díaz stated that the department was reduced to 135 detectives compared to 234 in 2019.

Louisiana declares state of emergency

The police shortage is not limited to just cities. Large states are also suffering from police defunding policies that have resulted in a lack of personnel:

Louisiana is one of them. Republican Governor Jeff Landry declared a state of emergency last February due to a shortage of police officers. Landry said that the lack of law enforcement in the state caused "an increase in crime and less public safety":

As a former police officer and sheriff’s deputy, I understand the vital role our law enforcement officers play in our communities. Currently, our state is facing a shortage of officers, resulting in increased crime and less public safety. Today’s executive order, and the upcoming crime special session, will ensure our law enforcement officers are supported and we can begin to bring law and order back to our state. 

The Louisiana Sheriffs Association specifically stated that, as of July 2023, there were approximately 1,800 deputies throughout the state who left their jobs in the various sheriff offices. The group reported that this "translated into a record level of employment and an increase in response time."

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