Vallejo city staff members are recommending declaring a state of emergency due to the severe shortage of police officers in the city.
According to city documents, the Vallejo Police Department has reached a critical stage in staffing, with only 43 sworn officers available to patrol the entire city. If a state of emergency is declared, City Manager Mike Malone would be responsible for ensuring that all available resources are provided to the police department.
The city officials will vote on whether to accept this recommendation at a Vallejo City Council meeting on Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Vallejo City Hall.
‘A circumstance of extreme peril’
In recent months, the Vallejo Police Department has lost five officers, leaving only nine supervisors and 34 officers for patrol. As a result, the department has temporarily disbanded its traffic division and has rotated one detective per week to work a patrol shift.
With three more officers scheduled to leave in the coming month, there may be a complete halt in responding to certain calls in the future.
For example, the department spends a significant amount of time responding to false alarm calls every month. Officers are working with the city attorney’s office to find a legal solution to stop responding to these non-emergency calls.
Despite these measures and even with potential mandatory 12-hour shifts, the police department still does not have sufficient personnel.
The agenda packet states that with the city’s population, visitors, and businesses, the current level of police staffing poses an extreme peril to the safety of individuals and property in Vallejo.
According to city documents, almost all sworn personnel are currently working forced overtime, but police response times are significantly delayed, especially for lower priority calls.
A recent report by the Solano County Grand Jury found that it takes an average of 84.26 minutes for an officer to be dispatched after receiving a call warranting police response.
While the police department prioritizes in-progress property crimes and crimes threatening people’s safety, most other calls experience significant response time delays.
What does a state of emergency mean?
Vallejo is authorized to declare a state of emergency when there are actual or threatened conditions of disaster or extreme peril. If a local public safety staffing emergency is declared, City Manager Mike Malone would become the director of emergency services as well as the city manager. He would have the power to mobilize city departments and employ necessary personnel to protect the city and its residents.
If approved, the local state of emergency would remain in effect until the city council decides to terminate it. The council would review the declaration every 60 days to assess its necessity.
The end of the staffing shortage in the Vallejo Police Department is uncertain. Since 2020, the department has seen a decreasing number of officers each year, largely due to protests over officer-involved shootings.
In a March presentation to the Vallejo City Council, officers highlighted various issues affecting morale, including a perceived lack of support from the community and council, delays in building a new police station, an unresolved contract with the city, and unrealistic expectations.
The agenda packet states that the continuing erosion of staffing will further worsen the situation.
In March, officers warned that if staffing levels become too low, the Solano County Sheriff’s Office may need to take over law enforcement in Vallejo.