Philadelphia PA June 11th, 2022 Philadelphia officials are considering adopting a proposal that would allow the city and its police department to rehire retired police officers and civilian employees in an effort to fill staff vacancies. Council Majority Leader Cherelle Parker proposed the legislation as a way to address police staffing shortages amid rising gun violence […]
Harrisburg PA May 21 2022 The city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has introduced a civilian response team as an alternative to police officers in new community policing program. The Community Service Aides (CSA) program, which began in March, is part of the Community Services Division of the Harrisburg Bureau of Police and is an answer to problems […]
WASHINGTON DC May 2 2022 — Contract security officers will start work Monday as part of a new program to help alleviate staffing shortages within the Capitol Police, according to a letter from the Capitol Police Board to lawmakers and staff obtained by CQ Roll Call. The new Capitol security officers will be unarmed and have […]
BALTIMORE MD April 19 2022 — The Baltimore Police Department plans to become one of the first law enforcement agencies in the nation to hire civilians to investigate low-level crimes, internal affairs complaints and cold cases. Baltimore will set “a standard for staffing allocations in law enforcement agencies across the country,” which have struggled with hiring […]
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. Dec 21 2021 — Late last summer while walking a beat with a Miami Beach police officer, Leon Borenstein saw a man steal a chain from a woman’s neck. He gave chase; so did the cops. When police caught up to the suspected thief, Borenstein — who taped the incident on his […]
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. December 8, 2021 Five newly-hired private officers are out on patrol in Beverly Hills on Monday as the city increased its staff in response to the recent spike in crime. The officers work for Covered 6 Security and will be armed and are set to patrol different parts of the city. The move […]
HYDE PARK Chicago IL Dec 5 2021— As the University of Chicago ramps up security in Hyde Park, groups of Chicago police officers and campus security guards will be dispatched to bolster the added cops regularly patrolling the area, officials said this week. The details emerged from a public safety meeting Wednesday hosted by Alds. Leslie […]
LOS ANGELES CA Dec 3 2021 — In a “first-of-its-kind program,” the city of Los Angeles will soon be diverting some non-violent 911 calls related to homelessness away from police and toward trained, unarmed professionals, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced last week. Starting next month, the Crisis and Incident Response through Community-Led Engagement (CIRCLE) pilot will […]
PHILADELPHIA PA October 19 2021 — A plan to create a new class of non-sworn, unarmed “public safety officers” is moving closer to reality, The Philadelphia Tribune reports. The plan was first suggested in 2019 by city council president Darrell Clarke to alleviate downtown congestion and was backed by a related ballot measure later that year, […]
Austin TX Sept 27 2021 Austin Police Department officials are finalizing plans to dispatch civilians instead of police officers to certain types of calls that do not involve emergencies as a way to maximize patrol staffing and respond to reformers’ demands for change. Interim Police Chief Joe Chacon hinted at his plan Wednesday during an announcement […]