Confronting The Problem Of Less Cops On Streets [AUDIO]

Severe budget cuts at the state, county and local level has resulted in fewer cops on the streets. Violent crime is up in major New Jersey cities. Nationally, the issue of how police are trained is being scrutinized and re-assessed. One law enforcement union leader in New Jersey says training is not the issue.

New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association (PBA) president Tony Wieners predicted people would die and unfortunately he was right. He says when New Jersey decided that public safety spending would not be exempt from its 2% cap on spending increases at the local level, it paved the way for less cops on the streets. Wieners says since January 2010, "New Jersey has lost upwards of 6,000 police officers through retirements, positions not being filled and lay-offs."

Many national law enforcement groups understand police departments are being forced to do more with less and they're stressing the importance of more extensive training. Wieners isn't buying that. He says, "You can have the best trained cop in the world. If you don't have the manpower to cover the area and to be out in the public it's not worth a hill of beans."

Wieners says violent crime is on the rise in New Jersey's urban areas because of the reductions in police force. He says, "Our cities are going to hell in a hand basket."

As he has been doing for the better part of two years, Wieners is again asking for the funding cops and firefighters to be exempt from the 2% cap. He says because that's not the case now, "Unfortunately, New Jersey has neglected its number-one responsibility to its citizens and that's to provide a safe and secure environment before anything else…..Our streets should be dirty before they're unsafe."

A report late last month (12/28/11) showed that nationwide, 173 police officers died in the line of duty, up 13% from 153 the year before, according to numbers as of that day. The figures were compiled by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) in its annual report. Unfortunately, New Jersey was not immune to the increase.

NLEOMF senior director of communications, Steve Groeninger says, "What we see in New Jersey is the state suffering 5 officer fatalities thus far in 2011 which is 5 too many in my mind…..In 2011 New Jersey lost 4 officers so we're one higher for the state in 2011."

NLEOMF chairman, Craig Floyd blames the rise on budget cuts like those seen in New Jersey to public safety departments. He cites surveys by police groups that reveal many cut backs on training and delays in upgrading equipment. A Department of Justice (DOJ) report issued in October estimated 10,000 police officers and sheriff's deputies have been laid off within the past year.

Groeninger says, "When you add those factors together they don't come up positive for law enforcement."

"Drastic budget cuts affecting law enforcement agencies across the country have put our officers at grave risk," says Floyd. "At a time when officers are facing a more cold-blooded criminal element and fighting a war on terror, we are cutting vital resources necessary to ensure their safety and the safety of the innocent citizens they protect."

A recent survey by the International Association of Chiefs of Police found 60% of responding law enforcement agencies had cut back on training, 64% had cut back on buying or upgrading major equipment, and 58% had cut back on buying or upgrading technology. The DOJ report states that by year's end, it is expected that nearly 12,000 police officers and sheriff's deputies will have been laid off.

During the past year, more officers were killed in Florida, 14, than in any other state; followed by Texas with 13; New York with 11; and California and Georgia with 10 each. Ten of the officers killed nationwide in 2011 served with federal law enforcement agencies. Seven of the officers who died during the past year served with correctional agencies. Eleven of the 173 fatalities were women. On average, the officers who died in 2011 were 41 years old and had served for 13 years.

The statistics released are based on preliminary data compiled and do not represent a final or complete list of individual officers who will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in 2011.

The report, "Law Enforcement Officer Deaths: Preliminary 2011 Report," is available online.