Police response times are something most people don’t stay up at night worrying about. UNTIL you have an emergency. Then you had better worry about it. All over the country this scenario is getting worse.
Law-enforcement agencies strive for response times in the eight-minute range. In Colorado Springs where I live, the average is ten minutes, 37 seconds–and gradually increasing. Response time relates to calls for Priority One (life-threatening).
As cities grow both in population and area, money has not been available to hire additional officers. There are many reasons why more can’t be hired. Here are some of them.
FALLING HOME VALUES. The tax base is slowly being eroded by falling home values brought on by the mortgage scandal. Translate this to less tax dollars. Less tax dollars equals less resources-it is that simple!
SHORTAGE OF APPLICANTS. There is a shortage of qualified or even interested applicants for law enforcement. Many who are interested in the career field are lured away by “Homeland Security” jobs which often pay more. Most law enforcement agencies are understaffed. It is hard and dangerous work and let’s face it the pay isn’t all that great.
BUDGET CUTBACKS. For a variety of reasons local and state law enforcement agencies throughout the country are experiencing cutbacks in funding making it harder for existing resources to cover everything.
What does this all mean to you and me? Well the implications can be complicated. For example if there are no more resources to solve crimes on the detective side because everyone is out responding to calls less cases get solved.
Another example in my beloved Colorado Springs just last week a decision was made to get their helicopters back in the air after being grounded for several months. The reason- money or I should say the lack of it to keep it going.
The biggest impact of course is the time it takes to get to a crime scene. That could be the difference between life and death.
It is going to boil down to prioritizing the needs of the community all across the country. Further it places added emphasis on individuals for their own protection and safety. They need to be more aware and carry self defense products like stun guns, pepper sprays with them to insure their own and their family’s safety.
Stun guns are not legal in some states. Some cities and states have restrictions on pepper sprays. Check with your local police department.
“WHEN YOU CARE ENOUGH TO STUN and SPRAY THE WORST”
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