America is in the midst of a police officer shortage. Agencies of all sizes are struggling to fill open positions…
Full story: Some small towns in America are disbanding police forces, citing hiring woes | AP News
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice, Appalachian State University
Do the events of this article convey a bigger issue in policing as a whole? Should small towns raise wages for police officers or lower application standards? Or do small towns even need a police department?
Small towns losing their police force can be a good and a bad thing. If there is no need for a small town department, as the county is able to police them, there are no problems disbanding the force. Disbanding the force in many towns proved to not change the crime rates and many stated they know who lives in their town, and they help to pay attention. This allows for autonomy of the people and provides extra money to the county, as it is not being spent on police departments. The downfall of police departments disbanding in small towns is exactly what Goebel asked, “As you lose your schools, you lose your businesses and you lose your police force, how much longer can the town actually be viable as a town?” Another issue prominent in the disbanding, is the question of who’s next? Realistically we know that police forces will never go away, but there is understaffing in a majority of departments. With the disbanding of small town departments, will it drive more officers to other departments? What will be the next step in larger and more prominent departments to ensure that they do not face as extreme problems as small towns?
Cali, do you have any concerns that the abolishment of small town police departments will compromise the idea of democratic policing? Can counties be as responsive to local needs as these local PDs?
Dr. Marier, I am unsure what affect abolishment of small town police departments will have on the idea of democratic policing. With small town departments being abolished many of the counties officers are patrolling those areas. The citizens within the town still have some say in the county department, allowing them to voice their opinions about the way it is run. In the article it did share that a few of the counties were quick in their responses to local needs and there was not much of a difference. It could be argued that this may not be the case in every area depending on the size and population of specific counties. If the county is struggling to fill positions and is covering for abolished small town departments, that will majorly affect their responses.