CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- Thousands of Chula Vista residents received a letter from the Chula Vista Police Officers' Association warning them that their safety may be at risk.

The letter said the city has laid off dozens of officers in the past few years, which means public safety may be at risk.

"Two hundred fourteen sworn officers is simply not enough at this point," said CVPOA spokesman Lt. Eric Thunberg. "Even if we had an additional 50, we'd still be the lowest staffed agency in the county."

At its peak staffing in 2007, the city of Chula Vista had 261 officers. At the time, it was already the lowest per capita in San Diego County.

Budget cuts earlier this year forced the city to cut the department to 214 officers. The CVPOA said that number is hardly enough to protect Chula Vista's 246,000 residents.

During those same budget cuts, the Police Officers' Association was the only union in the city to get a pay raise. Thunberg said that is not what the letter was about.

"We're not looking for more money or benefits," he said. "We're simply asking for more cops."

The letter was mailed to 13,000 Chula Vista homes and was published in the local Star News newspaper. It asked residents to email or call the Mayor and City Council about the police force numbers.

"We physically don't have enough officers to cover all the beats every day," said Chula Vista Councilman Steve Castaneda, who agreed with the letter's message.

Despite the diminished police force, a recent San Diego Association of Governments study said Chula Vista is the third safest city in the county.

"When you're one of the top three safest cities, you have to attribute that to the hard work of your public safety, police and fire," said Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox.

However, Castaneda said that's not enough.

"Because statistically we show that we're a safe city… doesn't mean we should be putting up a 'Gone Fishing' sign at the police department," he said.

Thunberg added, "We're doing a good job and we'll continue to do so, but at some point we're not going to be able to respond to the calls that we need to respond to."

He said the letter was unprovoked.

According to the city, there are no future layoffs planned. Negotiations on next year's budget have not begun.

The police staffing levels will be an agenda item during a Public Safety Subcommittee meeting on Nov. 16.

Read the letter: Page 1 and Page 2.