U.S. Recession Leading to Limits on Services of Local Police, Many Face Deep Budget Cuts Which Will Lead to Slower Response Times, More Crimes

The recession in the United States is having an adverse effect on law enforcement and their ability to do their jobs effectively. Some agencies are being forced to close precincts, merge with other departments or even completely shut down. That is good news for criminals but bad news for every law-abiding person in this country. You will note that the police departments were largely immune from deep budget cuts, but that is furthest from the truth in today's tough economic times. Some police departments are reportedly struggling to provide basic services. Is the the United States of America or is this a Third World country? This will result in dramatically slower response times for 911 calls, drastically reduce police presence in some communities, specifically the inner city areas and ultimately a spike in criminal activities.

The Obama administration's $787 billion stimulus plan gives about $4 billion to local law enforcement, including $1 billion to hire and retain officers. But the hiring money has reportedly not been distributed, and applicants have requested more than is available. So, what's the reason for the delay?

According to USA Today, among the recent cuts:

• In Pennsylvania, 19 suburban and rural police agencies have closed in the past 15 months, and seven others have cut patrols. The "unprecedented" closures and cuts have forced the state police — who face their own budget struggles — to assume full or partial public safety responsibility for about 54,000 more people, says Lt. Col. Lenny Bandy, deputy commissioner of operations for the state police.

• In Minnesota, nine small police agencies have closed in the past five months, leaving sheriffs' departments to protect the public. The Elko New Market Police Department was briefly the 10th shuttered agency, until residents last month demanded that the City Council reverse its 2-week-old decision to eliminate it. "A lot of people felt that we were sending a potentially dangerous public message ... without a police department," says Mayor Jason Ponsonby, who opposed the closure.

• In Portland, Ore., police are consolidating operations by eliminating two of five patrol precincts. Portland police spokesman Greg Pashley says some residents fear response times will rise and established officers will be replaced by others who are unfamiliar with local problems. He says the move, which takes effect in June, was needed to cut costs, but he believes it will not compromise safety.

• In Southern California, Indio and its neighbors Palm Springs, Desert Hot Springs, Cathedral City and Beaumont have merged some key functions and also plan to combine dispatch operations to increase efficiency. "It's the legacy of the budget crunch," Indio's Capt. Richard Banasiak says.

The last departments that should ever face any budget cuts are those that provide critical services to the public -- police, fire and hospitals -- but they have found themselves in a rather precarious situation. Rather than the continuous bickering between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and CIA Chief Leon Panetta, could we focus for a moment on what's going on in police departments across this country. We cannot afford for these budget deficiencies to lead to drastic cuts. There will be more crimes and less arrests. That can only spell doom for many communities across this country.