Fioretti Points Out Shortages

Amazingly, an aldercreature sees what's happening - and says so:

• At Wednesday’s City Council meeting I introduced a resolution with 19 of my colleagues as co-sponsors calling for a hearings with the Police Superintendent and City Budget Director on how the vacancies within the Police Department are going to be filled. Currently there are over 700 openings for officers in the department. Academy graduations have been slowed and, as a result of the recent completion of the contract arbitrations, more officers will be retiring; more than 100 are already pending. These facts not only mean that our communities are in greater danger but our sworn officers are as well. The openings place an undue burden on the men and women that fill our police department, forcing them to work more hours and spread themselves thinner. At the hearings called for in our resolution we will ask the administration what their plan is to fix this situation and ensure the safety of our brave officers and our neighborhoods.

This was posted back on 17 April. Political grandstanding? Partially, we're sure. But nice to see someone in a position of power pointing this out since our readers have been saying this exact thing for two years now.