Kodiak police shift away from 24/7 patrols due to staff shortages

Police Chief Tim Putney swearing successful 1 of nan newest Kodiak Police Department officers successful 2022. (From Kodiak Police Department Facebook page)

By nan extremity of May, nan Kodiak Police Department will nary longer beryllium capable to prolong patrols 24 hours a day, 7 days a week owed to steadily declining staffing levels.

Police Chief Tim Putney told KMXT successful January that this will beryllium nan first clip since nan 1980s that nan section has not been capable to support overnight patrols passim nan full week.

“At nan existent inclination we’re looking astatine astir apt going to a different schedule, that intends we’re not going to person patrol officers 24/7 and that’s thing we’ve ne'er done successful nan community,” Putney said astatine nan time.

Putney referenced nan downward trending staffing levels successful an April 25 study to nan City Council. In 2021 nan section had 16 constabulary officers including Putney, a detective sergeant, and a detective, but by May 27 it will beryllium down to 10 officers. The section is budgeted to capable 17 constabulary serviceman positions.

Putney said nan lone detective pinch KPD was reassigned to screen patrol shifts earlier this year, and different serviceman resigned connected May 6.

Based connected nan existent scheduling system, that won’t beryllium capable to support sending 2 officers retired connected each patrol displacement overnight. The fewer remaining officers already activity 12-hour shifts, pinch 3 days disconnected each different week. Putney said that results successful much overtime and much burnout, truthful he’s looking to alteration really shifts are scheduled.

“I’m beautiful against nan thought of having them moving solo, for information reasons,” Putney said successful January. “So we would astir apt person them disposable astatine home, connected call, but conscionable not connected nan timepiece for these extended overtime periods.”

Putney said he is considering going to accepted eight-hour shifts that would consistently screen 8 a.m. to midnight connected a regular basis. KPD would besides perchance person officers connected graveyard shifts, which would impact immoderate moving 10 hours alternatively of eight.

Putney said earlier this year that he believes 1 of nan main reasons for nan dwindling unit is simply a deficiency of lodging successful Kodiak. The section has not had a caller prosecute since nan autumn of 2022. It besides takes 3 months connected mean for a caller serviceman to decorativeness training.

According to nan department’s data, arsenic nan number of officers are falling, nan number of calls for work are rising. Kodiak Island’s dispatch halfway saw a astir 10% summation successful calls complete nan past 2 afloat years, from 10,161 successful 2021 to 11,227 successful 2023. The section anticipates gaps successful emergency consequence and little proactive policing pinch less officers astatine nan extremity of nan month.

Putney will supply a staffing update during his position to nan Kodiak City Council at its activity convention adjacent week connected May 21.