Lack of police reduces areas of coverage and increases response times
Charlotte NC August 7 2021
Police shortages continue to reduce law enforcement’s ability to effectively provide service for their community.
In several communities, police are only responding patrols in “hot zones” though they will respond to all calls for service within their area.
Alabama just passed a law that reduces police departments jurisdiction.
For years municipalities across Alabama have enforced ordinances and policed areas outside their town and city limits, but this week that could end in many places across the state.
“It’s an attempt to really put municipal authority back inside municipal limits over time and to have the county commission exercise authority outside municipal limits in the county,” said Alabama Senator Chris Elliott.
Sponsored by Elliott, Act 2021-297 went into effect on Monday. The 28-page document is something cities like Fairhope are trying to sift through and understand. In cities with 6,000 or more residents, police jurisdictions can’t extend more than 3 miles outside of corporate limits.
In San Francisco, police have reduced the types of calls that they will respond to taking 43 different service calls off their response list and other cities have done the same.
And an Idaho court has reduced its hours because the sheriff’s office can no longer staff the court for more than two days.
A survey of response times to calls shows an increase on average or more than 24 minutes.
