“We’re triaging.” From Portland to Philadelphia to Los Angeles, police departments are losing officers and can’t find enough recruits to replace them.
“We’re getting more calls for service and there are fewer people to answer them,” said Philadelphia Police spokesperson Eric Gripp, whose department has been rotating employees from specialty units for short assignments to increase patrols. “This isn’t just an issue in Philadelphia. Departments all over are down and recruitment has been difficult.”
Experts say widely cited theories that violent crime is worse in places that changed policing tactics in the wake of protests over Floyd’s murder don’t bear out. Violent crime has increased in red and blue communities alike, regardless of their approach. “He turned around and pulled a pistol out and I didn’t see it. I didn’t feel anything at first but 10 seconds later I could hardly breathe,” King said as he sat on street after three nights in the hospital. “I thought I was going to pass away.”
On a recent night, police Sgt. Travis Garrison spotted a car with no plates driving erratically. The driver appeared high, probably on methamphetamine, and the passenger was almost comatose, with bloody track marks on his arm. And in some departments, police have sworn in new recruits this year, although the numbers aren’t keeping up with attrition, they say.
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