Salinas police reporting delays in response times over weekend
SALINAS, Calif. (KION) In a Facebook post Saturday night, the Salinas Police Department told residents that there's been a delay in response time because their officers have been out working on multiple calls that have stretched them thin.
"We understand the frustration from our residents who called in and {are} waiting for an officer to respond," said the post.
The post went on to say police officers were currently working an attempted homicide, 2 DUI cases, one domestic incident and several other calls. They also had several other calls pending into the night.
This comes as the police department faces an increase in call volume as more and more people go back to normal life after the pandemic restrictions were lifted. Salinas Police Chief Adele Frese told KION her officers are doing the best they can to respond to every call, but that they have to prioritize calls in order of urgency.
The Salinas City Council recently passed their new budget into law, cutting about $1.4 million from the police department's share.
The cuts impact positions that have not been filled yet within the department. This includes four sworn officer positions and one non-sworn civilian position. It also includes a reduction in supplies and services.
There are 75 total patrol officers right now, but only 72 can be spread out over the four shifts per day, with many working several more hours of overtime.
