News-Gazette, Town Hall #11: Police Staffing
Urbana, IL (News-Gazette)—With Urbana reeling from two weekend shooting incidents that left three dead, the focus of some conversations in the community shifted to the city’s police force — and the resources they lack to investigate crimes (more manpower, automated license plate readers, etc.).
That’s the topic of resident CLAIRE BENJAMIN‘s question for the two Democrats running for mayor in the Feb. 25 primary in the 11th installment of our “Your Questions, Their Answers” series. She asks: Police officers continue to leave Urbana. Right now, the department says they can only get three officers on duty at one time. That’s not enough for a city of our size. What will you do as mayor to reverse the trend of officers leaving Urbana so the department can be fully staffed?
“Urbana is losing about one trained officer a month, leading to burnout, mandatory overtime and low morale. We have three to four officers on duty at any given time. The night I did a police ride-along, one patrol officer was on duty. The other scheduled officers were on sick leave and in police training.
“Training new officers is costly — $100,000 per recruit — and time-consuming. It takes about one year of training before an officer can respond to a call for service independently. On average, officers stay under four years, as they are heavily recruited by other cities in our area that pay more and have better-supported police departments. Chief Larry D. Boone’s recent public presentation confirmed this.
“We have a service-focused department that wants to see the community engagement and alternative response models our residents have asked for implemented. In some situations, trained personnel other than police, such as social workers or mental health experts, can respond to calls for service instead of or alongside police.
“The proposed Philo Road Community Center, where officers could focus on crime prevention while social workers and other community partners help residents with non-criminal matters, was funded, then de-funded. Our city needs the center.
“Our officers need 21st-century tools like data mapping to track firearms and traffic collisions. The ability to report crimes online, an automated license plate readers pilot program, and an emergency U-Alert system will improve community connection. We can use these tools while safeguarding the rights and liberties of our residents.
“This past weekend, our city suffered three firearm deaths, including that of a seven-year-old. This is heartbreaking. My thoughts are with the victims, their families and our entire community. It is a call to action to protect the most vulnerable by investing in prevention, building partnerships between law enforcement and residents, and strengthening community trust.
“As mayor, I will work to unite our city around real solutions that create a safer, more supportive Urbana for all.”
—ANNIE ADAMS
