Sept. 12--Pueblo police received 128,256 calls for assistance last year and that number is going up in 2012 -- which is why Chief Luis Velez wants City Council's permission to not send a police officer on every call. Velez calls it "differential policing." It means that if a caller isn't in danger or a crime isn't in progress, police should be allowed to contact that caller or get a report later. He said the department's average response time has slowed from 10 minutes, 40 seconds in 2010 to 11 minutes, 21 seconds last year.
"That's just too long before we can get an officer to the scene," Velez told council Monday night. Council didn't argue but was cautious about the proposed change and didn't give Velez a formal answer.
The chief said calls are sorted into four categories: life-threatening situations; crimes in progress; crimes that just occurred; and calls to report older or non-threatening situations. Officers would automatically be sent to calls in the first three categories but not necessarily the fourth if council concurs.
That fourth category includes calls about abandoned vehicles, hit-andrun incidents, illegal dumping, criminal mischief, restraining order violations, trespassing and calls to check on a person's welfare.
Councilwoman Sandy Daff said she was uncomfortable with not requiring an officer response in some of those categories, such as checking on a person's welfare.
"We could be overlooking situations when police are needed most," she said. Velez said city dispatchers would work from a list of questions when talking to a caller and an officer would be sent if there was any risk of danger.
Councilman Leroy Garcia noted that police often send multiple officers to a call; Velez said back-up officers are needed in many potentially dangerous situations.
Copyright 2012 - The Pueblo Chieftain, Colo.
