Tucson Police Turn To Reactive Techniques
Reactive policing is known in the field as a mediocre way of handling crime. It does nothing to prevent potential acts of crime and certainly doesn’t build rapport between officers and the people. But reactive policing is exactly what the Tucson Police Department has been reduced to because of officer shortages and budget issues.
According to KGUN9 News, Chief Brett Klein said “Being down the number of positions that we are, these are unprecedented times.” He is referring to the fact that the department is short 130 officers and poised to lose another 60 within less than a year. The President of the Tucson Police Officers Association reiterates Klein’s position stating “When I say unprecedented times, that’s not an understatement.”
While some crimes are seeing a decrease this year when compared with 2009, homicides are much higher, with 40 so far this year alone—the same number of homicides in all of 2009.
The Department has had to do some rearranging to keep violent crime under control, according to the Chief. By moving officers from traffic patrols and DUI enforcement to preventing violent crime, other areas of enforcement have suffered.
Reactive policing refers to officers only reacting when a call comes in or when they are alerted to a specific crime. There is no community building or crime prevention here. This is precisely what Tucson is faced with, according to Klein.
Despite this, officers are continuing to make plenty of arrests and the courts have seen no shortage of clients. You wouldn’t know that the police were shorthanded by looking in the local jails or the courtrooms. This is because their primary concern remains keeping criminals off the streets.
Whether you’re arrested for pot possession or something as serious as assault, you can bet the TPD will be more than willing to take you in. And when you’re facing any kind of criminal charge, it’s cause for concern. Too often people think, “oh it’s only a DUI” or “it’s just a theft charge”, not realizing what an impact these seemingly minor crimes can have on their future.
While many people are concerned with the murder rate, don’t think for a minute that this means they aren’t concerned with thefts and other less serious crimes.
If you’re facing criminal charges and need the assistance of a criminal defense attorney, I can help. Contact me today for a consultation on your case.
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