Tight budgets lead to more civilians used for policing

[RamboLiberal]

Source: USA Today

Police agencies across the country are recruiting thousands of civilians for a growing number of duties previously performed by uniformed cops, in an unusual concession to local budget cuts.

The positions — some paid and others volunteer — are transforming every-day citizens into crime-scene investigators, evidence gatherers and photographers in what some analysts suggest is a striking new trend in American policing.

"It's all being driven by the economy and we should expect to see more of it," says University of Pittsburgh law professor David Harris, who analyzes law enforcement practices. "As budgets are squeezed, an increasing number of duties are going to be moved off officers' plates."

The chief opponents of the movement are police union leaders who believe cash-strapped agencies are lowering standards and undermining professionalism in the ranks. In some cases, the civilian positions circumvent pay and benefit obligations outlined in hard-fought labor contracts, says Bill Johnson, executive director of the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO).



Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-10-11-1Acitizenpolice11_ST_N.htm

[dkf]

1. Isn't this the citizen militia our constitution envisioned?

[HillbillyBob]

2. It was easier in those days population was not very dense for the most part

so it was doable.

The local town and county combined the town police and the sheriffs office. They cut the number of personel on the street by half, from 24 to 12 officers for a 30x30 mile county. Most folks out here in the rural county where we are get on very well and we are all armed. Very low crime rate. Still the response time for the police is now something like 40 minutes this far out, if the officers on duty are on the other side of the county.
Shoot we rarely even see strangers on our little private dirt road other than meter readers or other employees of the power company, or someone foolish enough to try to sell me something door to door.

[EC]

3. Couldn't this result in a lot of screw ups in

evidence and chain of evidence finding/holding?

[pattmarty]

4. This is starting to sound like the Soviet Union or East Germany..........

.....As if the police weren't bad enough in many cases. In no fucking way is this a good idea.