National Police Association Seeks Solutions to the Understaffing Issues Rampant within America’s Police Forces

The National Police Association (NPA) and other law enforcement organizations feel it should be a requirement to maintain minimum staffing levels in America's major cities as has been the norm for many decades now.  This is an integral part of maintaining cohesive communities and maintaining the safety of citizens. 

Although there may be 'enough' cops on duty at times, there should be enough available to respond to ordinary 9-1-1 emergencies as well as burglaries, home invasions, and mass shootings, among others. Enough personnel should be on duty to handle such incidents and still maintain the daily functions needed for police departments to carry on smoothly.

Minimum staffing level requirements are maintained and reported on by precincts daily to ensure that the citizens are adequately covered while guaranteeing the officers' safety. But according to a few cops in the U.S., minimum staffing requirements in many cities throughout the country have not been properly met for years.

A spokesperson from the National Police Association commented on the current state of staffing in our nation. "Staffing is a local issue and is in flux. Some agencies have had their budgets cut and are understaffed such as Austin, LAPD, Minneapolis, Seattle, etc."

According to some police officers, they will work alone at times without any backup in sight. Different squads have experienced such an issue. In some cases, the precinct's staffing sheets would be sent in with total officers on duty, not just those available to respond to 9-1-1 calls. This will boost their staffing levels artificially. The number of officers unable to respond to emergency calls is also recorded, but should be maintained as a separate record. By ensuring records are in place, this typically would cause staffing levels to be maintained adequately. Yet, in some cities, citizens have taken these issues into their own hands.

Since it is hard to meet the staffing levels to ensure maximum safety, it is advisable to keep a minimum staffing requirement, and should be "official." In San Francisco, the voters have formulated ways through which they can deal with the issue. They came up with Pass Proposition E. The policy was meant to ensure the minimum staffing had been dismissed and those government monies be redirected to other city issues.

National organizations like the National Police Association support adequate staffing requirements and are using their platforms and the assistance of the American judicial system to call local legislator's attention to the massive danger understaffing police departments could bring to citizens of these cities, "Budgets are set by legislative bodies such as state legislatures or city or county councils. As a 501c3, we assist in litigation by way of entering cases as a friend of the court. There are lawsuits underway and pending by citizens and businesses challenging the lack of police protection provided due to understaffing." Said a National Police Association spokesperson.

The National Police Association and others like them have already found themselves called on to assist in certain 'friend of the court' cases. 

"We are preparing to enter and argue two points in support of the plaintiffs. First, that the government's actions (or inaction) that resulted in police understaffing amount to a "state-created danger" sufficient to support claims for violation of constitutional rights of the plaintiffs for failure by the government to provide adequate police protection. Second, that the government's actions (or inaction) amount to an unconstitutional taking of property insofar as the decisions to weaken the police department created a foreseeable increase in crime against property and citizens despite their tax rates remaining unchanged. We hope these suits will result in a return to proper staffing for the plaintiffs and provide a template for success to other communities." Said a National Police Association spokesperson.

Most voters cast a 'yes' vote on Prop E which means the police's mandatory staffing levels have been eradicated. 

In 1994, San Francisco citizens passed Prop D, which required the maintenance of minimum staffing levels for local police departments to ensure the community was safe. During the recent elections in 2020, the citizens of the city made the choice to do away with required staffing minimums. Sadly, taking a political stance with this issue of minimum staffing requirements puts the entire city at risk. 

Many police officers in San Francisco worry they will be unable to respond to 911 emergencies promptly. Sgt. Tracy McCray, vice president of the San Francisco Police Officers Association, said recently, "Our response times to 911 calls are lagging because we don't have enough people on patrol." The Republican Party of San Francisco and the San Francisco Taxpayers Association also opposed the measure.

As a supervisor in San Francisco, Norman Yee introduced Proposition E. By implementing Proposition E, Yee believes it would then be possible to carry out some of the police reform demanded by the citizens of the city. Yee feels it would also be possible to hire professionals who can handle mental health and homelessness issues.

National Police Association and organizations of the like are attuned to the fact that there are always new ways to make our institutions run more smoothly and make them as efficient as possible, but taking cops off the street without a clear way to maintain the safety of the public going forward is not one. This leaves San Francisco citizens and those from similar, more progressive cities as a whole more vulnerable to crimes of all kinds. It would behoove the leaders of these cities if everyone took off their politically colored glasses for a moment and rethought these changes. They might finally see they need and want those minimum staffing requirements and other regulations in place for local law enforcement to ensure the safety of their police officers and their citizens as a whole.

About National Police Association

The National Police Association is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization founded to educate supporters of law enforcement on how to help police departments accomplish their goals. The National Police Association is supported solely through the contributions of individuals and organizations. Donations are tax-deductible

The NPA works to bring national and local attention to the anti-police efforts challenging effective law enforcement at every turn and to build public support for needed actions through TV and radio public service announcements, legal filings, articles authored for the NPA by law enforcement experts, and our podcast. Follow the efforts of the NPA more closely on their website nationalpolice.org.

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