Denver Police Chief Robert White, who has eliminated positions and shaken up the ranks since taking over the department almost a year ago, plans to redraw lines that define the city’s six police districts, he said Monday.
The district maps were last fully redrawn 25 years ago, White said.
“Populations change; crime patterns change. We are looking at everything that drives police service,” he said.
The plan is in its early stages, said White’s spokesman Detective Matt Murray.
Budget restraints have led to a drop in the number of officers available to patrol to about 1,393 today, from 1,450 before White was sworn in.
The shortage of personnel leads to staffing problems when officers are out sick or even on their days off, Murray said. Denver’s districts are broken into precincts, with a single officer patrolling each.
When an officer is out, a replacement has to be shifted from another precinct, and the replacement officer’s car has to be staffed by still another cop. “A guy might be in (precinct) 414 tonight and 431 tomorrow night,” said Murray. “It doesn’t give them the benefit of learning what the issues are in the community they patrol.”
The plan will be designed with input from the City Council and other stakeholders, Murray said.
“We have got to make sure we are doing things the most effective way possible,” White said.
