Crippling staff shortage at North Bay police department could be addressed by state bill
By Philippe Djegal,
2024-05-22
VALLEJO, Calif. ( KRON ) — A crippling patrol staffing shortage at the Vallejo Police Department is being addressed at the state level. If a bill approved by the Senate this week passes through the legislature, it could bring the department much-needed relief.
But not everyone is on board.
Vallejo PD is severely understaffed, and the city council has declared a local emergency. Napa-based State Sen. Bill Dodd’s (D-CA) office paints a bleak picture. The department is authorized to have 132 officers but is currently down to just 31, tasked with patrolling the entire city.
That’s why Sen. Dodd wrote a bill that would allow qualified retired Solano County Sheriff’s deputies to return to that department and work full-time to help patrol the city of 123,000 people.
The bill passed the senate Tuesday and will next head to the assembly. In a statement, Dodd said in part:
“Allowing them to temporarily work more hours while recruitment ramps up for permanent officers can save taxpayers money while deterring crime and improving responsiveness.”
“It just depends, right? Who are the officers that they’re bringing?” countered human rights attorney Melissa Nold. “I supported the state of emergency to allow more officers to come in and we were encouraged these officers were not from Vallejo.”
For the next three years Senate Bill 1379 would allow retired officers to skirt current state law and exceed the 960-hour annual cap on work hours for retired cops.
Like many community members, a spokesperson for Dodd’s office says the senator is concerned about the police department and allegations of abuse and corruption but stresses the officers that would be brought on will come from the sheriff’s office, not the police department.
Officers would also work under the sheriff’s office, rather than the Vallejo Police Department.
Nold has filed past and currently pending civil rights lawsuits against the agency and is skeptical about this bill.
“We need police, right? If somebody kicks your grandmother’s door, you want somebody to come and respond,” said Nold. “But if that guy left because every time, you know, somebody sneezes, he shoots somebody — we don’t want him going to grandma’s house either.”
“I don’t have anything against police. I have something against corrupt police,” said McCoy’s cousin David Harrison.
Harrison fears it is possible the retired officers who may join the department could fall in line with those accused of falling short of police standards.
“If you allow those rotten apples to fester in a barrel of apples, there’s not going to be too long before the whole barrel is a whole bunch of rotten apples,” he said.
The city’s mayor, chamber of commerce, Solano County Sheriff and Deputy Sheriff’s Association support the bill. If it passes through the assembly, it will end up on the governor’s desk. Sen. Dodd’s office says could likely be signed by September.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
we want cops but not just any cops... but we need cops... this is why I dont go out without a vest, my tazer or pistol. this town is just out of pocket some days
Tracy Lockwood
05-23
and they said here's a good idea.... Defund The Police. How that Work Out ? This was also, a good example of the Ferguson Effect.
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