Tucson Police Chief announces cuts to how they respond (Phoenix: sales, crime)

[wildflowers27]

The Green Valley News has an article today on an email sent by the Tucson Police Chief that they'll no longer be responding to a long list of calls soon, due to severe staffing shortages. “Call demand far exceeds the number of officers available to address it.” Their pay is 13.4% below other agencies and officers are being hired away by places such as Queen Creek which is starting its own police force. He said that "TPD is losing sworn staff 'at a troubling rate'.”

Some types of calls they'll no longer respond to includes Contraband at schools, hospitals, and courts (except firearms), Deaths at medical care facilities, Loud music/noise, Medical check welfare, and several others.

Future cuts will include no longer responding to all code enforcement, Civil matters (landlord-tenant disputes, child custody issues), Suicidal subjects, Financial crimes, and several others.

The full article may require subscription to view: https://www.gvnews.com/news/tucson-p...d0b82fdbb.html

I was sorry to read this. Hope that a growing economy will allow them to recover and strengthen.

[grmi66]

TPD has been understaffed for decades. Remember in the 90's a friend that worked for TPD telling me that on average it would take them 40-60 minutes to respond to a 911 call if my wife had a gun to her head and the perp was threatening harm. Big reason so many people are flocking over the city line and moving to the county.

Plus TPD has been juking the stats for a few years to show that crime is decreasing. Home burglary is now criminal trespassing unless the cops show up and catch the thief with an armful of ill-gotten goods while standing on the porch. Broken car window because someone was rifling through your car? Now it's called vandalism or criminal mischief.

Rank and file officers hate the chief of police and his soft stance on crime. Leaving for greener pastures. Move up to the Phoenix area to work for a fairly crime free suburb and get a huge pay raise. It's a no brainer for lots of officers.

[wildflowers27]

Thanks, grmi66. When I read the original article I thought of the Californians thread in this Tucson forum. People from other states are sometimes used to very responsive law enforcement and might not expect this longer response time (or no response now in these categories). It sounds like things are better in the county.

Getting creative with the crime stats must bring some snickers in the back room when they're writing up their reports.

Good info, thanks.

[Marcy1210]

Here in Oro Valley we have several officers who have lateraled over from TPD. The pay in OV is higher, the crime is much lower, and the force is smaller, so it's more like a family. TPD's always been on the lower end of the pay scale. Cutting back services is one way for the department to save money. It's up to the city council to increase the city budget to keep their officers on the force. The City of Tucson's 2021 budget gives the TPD $166 Billion, which sounds like a lot, but apparently not.

[grmi66]

I live a stone's throw outside of Oro Valley, policing there is totally opposite from the city of Tucson. For many of my retired relatives that live in Oro Valley, the first traffic ticket they received in 50+ years has come at the hands of an OVPD officer. They actually gave someone I know a ticket for pulling a "granny turn". Oro Valley is the only part of Pima County I don't drive with a heavy foot.

But getting back to Tucson Police, my sources from local law enforcement have been telling me for a few years the morale at TPD is beyond poor. The chief of police for Tucson does not inspire respect in any way from the rank and file.

One issue where you can tell a difference between departments is homelessness. Generally pretty rare to see too many homeless people north of River Road where the city line is. PCSD will gently encourage homeless people to relocate over the city line to Tucson because they know once you have a few homeless people then certain property crimes and shoplifting increase.

[steiconi]

Wow, it takes them 40 minutes to show up? You mean they actually show up?

That's an improvement over where I used to live; one 911 operator actually said, "you want us to come alk the way out there?"

[atlaw]

blue city, go figure

[bkolodzi]

My Dad always used to tell me "if you can't say something nice, then don't say anything", so I am not saying anything.

[tijlover]

When I was contemplating building a 2nd home in the south Tijuana hills, I asked my RE agent, given the sparse police force, what they do in neighborhoods to patrol for crime. He told me that in every neighborhood there's a President who collects money from its residents and it becomes a vigilant force. Wanted signs may appear with the photo of the burglar with rewards for capturing him/her.

I don't miss over-policed Las Vegas one bit. Every year or so they'd bump up the sales tax a tiny percentage to hire more and more police officers, and many of them are not out in the neighborhood, but protecting the tourists and conventioneers on the Las Vegas Strip. And yes, vice squad officers fanned out on the Strip looking for hookers, inside or outside. Sin City! 2 vice squad officers detained someone at one of the major hotels for 2 hours, mistaking her for a hooker, only to find out she was a nurse visiting from Michigan. She sued the Police Department and received an $80k settlement.

It's a relief to drive around Tucson without thinking there may be a police officer waiting to pick me up for going 5 miles over the speed limit. That was the case in the 3 years I lived in Phoenix under Arpaio. 22 years of driving in ultra-liberal Minneapolis and never a ticket. In my 2 years in Phoenix, 2 tickets!

With so many self-patroling gated communities today, do we really need all those police officers?

As far as these cars with the loud, ear-splitting stereo's, that could actually become a money maker for the police department, as the fines for these Noise Terrorists, in some communities, have risen to $2500. In Tucson, a mere $100 fine, caught 2X, it doubles.

[grmi66]

PCSD is better, but still stretched thin as well. Certain parts of the county, a deputy may never show up. Heard a first hand encounter from a deputy trying to arrest someone who was resisting arrest and called for backup. Spent almost 35 minutes waiting for another deputy driving at 80-100 MPH to show up to help him subdue the perp who was trying to wrestle himself free.