Ann Arbor police chief: Cuts won't compromise city's safety

But resident Cendra Lynn, 65, said cuts over the years are taking their toll.

“In my personal opinion, we’re way below safe levels,” said Lynn, who lives on Crest Street on the city’s west side and previously headed her neighborhood watch group. “My friends on the (police) force disagree with me, that if there is an emergency, they’ll be able to handle it. But they can’t do anything else. For example, we have no crime prevention programs.

“The morale and dedication of the police force is not at all in question,” she said. “But we are extremely lucky, and I don’t know how long you can keep on making them do more than they can possibly do without pushing the morale down.”

The most recent staff reduction was the result of city budget cuts.

Taking early retirements were four lieutenants, five sergeants, four detectives, 10 officers and two dispatchers. In all, they had more than 590 years experience with the department; all but one had at least 20 years of tenure.

Four of the five supervisors in the detective bureau left.

The number of patrol officers on the force remains at 64, Jones said.

Rather than promoting officers to replace retiring supervisors, the remaining lieutenants and sergeants are taking on the duties of their departing peers. There's less specialization under the downsized departments - community affairs and downtown beat patrol positions were eliminated, with patrol officers now handling those duties.

The Police Department now has 175 employees, including 125 sworn officers, Jones said. That’s down from about 210 sworn officers nine years ago, he said, but crime data shows the smaller force has kept the city safe.

Through early July, robberies, aggravated assaults, stolen cars and break-ins were down more than 30 percent from the previous July, Jones said. Larcenies were down significantly.

The early retirements will cost the city about $4.9 million, said city financial analyst Stephanie Julian. Officials project it will take less than three years to recoup the early retirement costs.

The cost evaluation for the early retirement plan was based on 18 of the 34 eligible officers accepting the offer, and none being replaced. The city hasn't decided whether to replace the additional seven officers, said Tom Crawford, the city’s chief financial officer.

Officer Sam James, president of the Ann Arbor Police Officers Association, said union officials are concerned about how the force will be able to handle special events such as University of Michigan football games.

“I think we’ll still be able to respond to emergency calls (as quickly as in the past),” James said.

But he said wait times will increase for non-emergency calls, such as non-injury traffic crashes that aren't blocking traffic.

Granger Avenue resident Nancy Leff, 54, chairwoman of the Lower Burns Park Association, said her association is discouraged by the police staffing cuts, including elimination of community police positions she said helped keep neighborhoods clean and peaceful.

Jones said the early retirement plan spared the police department from layoffs that would have been far more detrimental. Communities that lay off cops have problems recruiting experienced officers in the future, he said.

With the state struggling financially, Jones hopes such drastic measures won’t be needed. “Did we just stall what will be inevitable in our community?” he asked. “I hope not.”