Police staffing shortages across America require creative solutions

Cities across America are struggling with nationwide police shortages, and many are turning to innovative solutions to ease the pressure, including sending alternative responses through tools like Police Priority Dispatch System (PPDS^®). PDS^® allows police to dispatch civilian emergency services where a law enforcement presence is not necessary, freeing up police time for other emergencies. Where time for enforcement is limited, this type of solution can be invaluable.

Unfortunately, enforcement times are stretched across the country. According to A recent survey according to the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), the total number of sworn officers has fallen by approximately 5% over the past few years, from 83,497 in January 2020 to 79,464 in January 2023. While hiring has been increasing since Covid cases have fallen, the number This almost reflects pre-pandemic levels – which are not enough to keep up with current vacancies.

“Agencies are losing officers faster than they can hire new ones,” according to the PERF study, leaving departments across the country struggling to fill vacancies.

One such city, Indianapolis, hit approx record low officers – a drop of almost 300 from 2019. In response to this record low, Indianapolis has resorted to asking the city to bring in Indiana State Troopers to shore up its dwindling police force.

Patrick Yoes, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, said: “What you are seeing across the country in Indianapolis is being repeated city after city.” In fact, as of 2019, gaps numbered in the hundreds or thousands in large cities:

• San Francisco: 410 officers missing
• Los Angeles: 1,086 officers missing
• Phoenix: 360 officers missing
• Chicago: 1,367 officers missing
• Washington: 467 officers missing
• Houston: 90 officers missing
• New York: 3,247 officers missing
• Philadelphia: 1,140 officers missing
• Baltimore: 418 officers missing

In small towns like Goodhue and Morris, Minnesota, as well as Washburn, Illinois police shortages it even causes departments to be dissolved. As a result, local communities must rely on neighboring police departments or county sheriffs for law enforcement.

The shortage is due to several factors, including changes in public perceptions of police officers, long employment periods and an increase in police departures. According to PERF, the number of police officer resignations has increased by approximately 47% over the last few years, with 2,838 resignations in 2019 and 4,175 in 2022. Additionally, police positions are difficult to fill due to the amount of training time required .

One possible solution to this problem is to increase the number of alternative police responses to reduce the burden on overstretched forces. Alternative responses involve having civilians, social workers, behavioral health experts and other crisis-trained personnel respond to 911 calls rather than dispatching police officers.

These types of interventions may be particularly useful for mental health calls where callers need specialized help rather than law enforcement. In fact, one program, the New Jersey Monitor, found that alternative responses avoided arrests or police use of force 95% of cases. This shows that alternative responses can be effective not only in reducing the burden on local police departments, but also in creating safer communities.

Police Priority Dispatch System (PPDS^®) – Decision triage tool powered by ProQA^® software and its police protocols developed by the International Emergency Dispatch Academy^® (IAED) – Allows Emergency Police Dispatchers (EPD) to send alternate responses directly from within the ProQA workflow^®Priority Dispatch’s 911 call answering solution^®if local police agencies deem it appropriate. By using the ProQA® protocol, police departments can better allocate their limited resources, ensuring officers are available for high-priority incidents while civilian responders handle non-violent or low-risk calls. These types of innovations not only increase efficiency, but also shorten response times and help prevent officer burnout.

More and more agencies are implementing systems such as PPDS^® and alternative responses, police departments struggling with shortages across America may receive a bailout in the form of much-needed aid.