Shreveport, Louisiana, is facing a staffing shortage in its police department, with 417 officers currently on the force and a need for 164 more to reach the ideal staffing level of 581. This shortage has raised concerns about emergency response times.
Staffing Discussion
During a recent Public Safety Committee meeting, Police Chief Wayne Smith discussed the department’s staffing needs. Councilman Grayson Boucher cited a recent incident where a woman reported a man attempting to break into her home, and the police response was delayed due to another incident in the city.
SPD officials later clarified that the call was classified as a medium-priority incident because no physical altercation had occurred. According to Corporal Chris Bordelon, department records show that the response time for the incident was within the expected timeframe.
Response Times
Bordelon stated that response times for calls involving injuries or immediate danger have remained consistent, although some non-emergency calls and traffic crashes have experienced longer wait times. Chief Smith noted that officers are expected to respond to life-threatening emergencies in less than five minutes.
The city is also moving forward with a take-home vehicle program, which will add 60 police vehicles to the SPD’s fleet this fall. This initiative is expected to increase officer visibility and patrol presence throughout the city.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
