Police departments in cities and towns across
the country, where persistent budget problems are changing the landscape, are
closing.
According to the USA Today, until the recession,
law enforcement was largely spared from budget tensions, but some communities
have reaped both financial savings and operational efficiencies following
consolidations or mergers of their police functions. And there is evidence that
local government officials are increasingly considering similar dramatic
changes in pursuit of more affordable public safety options, according to local
government records and law enforcement authorities.
In Pennsylvania, for example, the state police
are taking on increasing patrol duties, following recent closures of town and
village departments. Since 2010, at least 33 cities scattered throughout Pennsylvania
have closed their agencies or scaled back law enforcement operations, according
to state records.
Now, when residents of these communities dial
911, state troopers — not local beat cops — are making house calls, reported
the USA Today.
A 2011 survey of the International Association
of Chiefs of Police, the nation's largest association of top law enforcement
officials, found that 77% of its members were providing some form of support
for other agencies.
A separate report by the Major Cities Chiefs
Association, a group representing the nation's 63 largest police forces, last
year found that 70% were consolidating some law enforcement functions to
compensate for recent budget cuts, reported the USA Today.
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