SACRAMENTO — Research in California has demonstrated that the state only has two law enforcement officers for every 1,000 residents, with lack of personnel strongly affecting response times, the Peace Officers Research Association of California found.
PORAC’s continued research on police staffing, released on Nov. 17, showed that California had nearly half the rate of officers per 1,000 residents as the national average. Only one county (Alpine) had a ratio of more than five officers per 1,000 residents; three counties (Mariposa, Mono and Sierra) had three to four, and the remaining 54 counties had three or fewer.
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The research took a closer look at several areas of the state where staffing was particularly low. The Sacramento Police Department is expected to face a staffing decline to about 600 officers, less than half of the projected number needed to fully staff the department. The Long Beach Police Department is working to fill 155 vacancies.
PORAC data also show that staffing levels are “the strongest predictor of call response times.”
In Long Beach, response times for priority 2 and 3 calls have increased by more than 20 minutes since 2021, according to city data cited by an Aug. 2024 Long Beach Post News report. Priority 1 “life-threatening” calls rose more modestly, increasing by about a minute and a half to an average of 5 minutes and 48 seconds between 2021 and 2024. For San Diego 911 calls that do not “involve immediate threats to human life,” including nearly all property crime and some domestic violence calls and bomb threats, the average response time has reached 36 minutes.
“It’s incredibly difficult for large-city officers and throughout the nation, particularly here in San Diego, we are seeing we are understaffed and really overworked,” Jared Wilson, president of the San Diego Police Officers Association, told PORAC.
The study found that in California, the law enforcement profession overall has lost more than 3,300 sworn officers and 400 civilian staff since 2020.
PORAC identified several roadblocks to police hiring, including negative views of law enforcement, higher attrition rates and early departures, and lengthy recruitment processes.
“No one wants to be a cop,” Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper told PORAC.
PORAC urged state and local leaders to provide adequate funding and resources to law enforcement agencies and to publicly support officers and the profession.
The study showed that each additional law enforcement officer results in 1.3 fewer violent crimes and 4.2 fewer property crimes per year.
“Our leaders have a responsibility to help us protect the communities we collectively serve, and supporting our profession is a simple, cost-effective way to boost recruitment.” PORAC stated. “That’s how we’ll build a safer California, together.”
This article has been updated to clarify Long Beach PD’s response times.
