Report: Baltimore Police Haven't Prioritized Patrol Roles
BALTIMORE (AP) — A new report stemming from Baltimore police's consent decree with the federal government finds that the department has failed to prioritize patrol positions.
News outlets report that the staffing study filed Tuesday says the Baltimore Police Department has a 26.6 percent vacancy rate in that area, with nearly 300 patrol positions vacant across nine districts.
Based on data from the department verified by the nonprofit Police Foundation, the report found Baltimore police have enough budgeted officer positions to meet the community's needs, but fall off when it comes to filled and assigned positions. With no emphasis on permanently assigning officers to patrol positions, patrol needs are covered with expensive overtime.
The authors suggested a potential restructure that would flatten bureaucracy and reduce the number of specialized units.
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