By Adam Pagnucco.
County council public safety analyst Susan Farag has struck again. Her newest police department briefing packet for the council’s Public Safety Committee is a must read for all county residents. It depicts how county leaders’ inattention to police staffing has produced a dire crisis threatening the public as violent and property crimes rise.
Here are five shocking facts from her report.
Resignations and retirements increased 64% in 2022.
Farag wrote: “Historically, MCPD has had very low attrition rates, hovering between one and 1.5 officers per month (plus retirements). Over the past two years, this rate has rapidly increased to four officers per month (plus retirements). In calendar 2021, the Department lost 90 officers – from 33 resignations, 55 retirements, one termination, and one death. In calendar 2022, that increased to 144, with 89 resignations and 55 retirements.”
Farag added: “If the Department cannot improve hiring and retention rates, it faces a staffing shortage of up to 229 positions by the end of calendar 2025.” That would create a vacancy rate of roughly 18%. Also, more than 30% of officers are now eligible for retirement.
The 911 Emergency Communication Center (ECC) has a 36% vacancy rate.
Farag wrote: “Chronic understaffing has multiple negative impacts on operations including:
- Mandatory overtime;
- Employee morale;
- Combining police radio talk groups for longer hours;
- Longer wait times for 911 and non-emergency lines (there have been multiple complaints from the public); and
- Less supervisory oversight because supervisors fill call taking vacancies.”
Average call response time is at a decade high.
The chart below which shows average call response time in minutes needs no elaboration.
Roughly one of every six patrol officer positions in Bethesda and Wheaton are vacant.
Farag posted the district vacancy chart below. One wonders how these vacancy rates are connected to response times.
The county can no longer fully conduct traffic enforcement.
Critics of traffic enforcement by sworn officers should rejoice because the county is increasingly unable to undertake it comprehensively. Farag wrote: “The net loss of Traffic Officers in FY22 included nine Officers that were absorbed into different parts of the budget-neutral reorganization, as well as eight Traffic Officers and one Collision Reconstruction Unit Officer who were cut in the FY22 Operating Budget.”
As a result, Farag observed: “MCPD advises current staffing is not sufficient to provide traffic enforcement throughout the County each day. It also does not allow the unit to handle a traffic-related detail and traffic enforcement at the same time.”