SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The San Diego Police Officers Association says last week's deadly shooting at the Islamic Center highlighted a critical staffing problem inside the department, with officers stretched too thin and response times suffering as a result.
The union says Northern Division was staffed with only seven patrol officers the day of the shooting, even though the minimum staffing level should be 14.
Lt. Jared Wilson, president of the SDPOA, said the problem has been building for more than a year.
"The staffing shortages on the San Diego Police Department have gotten extremely worse over the last year. Under Chief Wahl, he cut $12 million in patrol overtime last year. We told him that that was gonna skyrocket our response times. We have less officers in the street. Calls are holding longer. That means our community is unsafe. Our officers are unsafe, and they're burnt out."
Wilson said half-staffed patrol divisions are leaving calls unanswered for dangerous stretches of time.
"When we're half-staffing our patrol divisions, and we're leaving calls holding like the call that preceded this at the mother's house, that's not acceptable, and it's putting our community in danger. It's putting our officers in danger, and it's really a disservice when we cannot get there in time," he added.
The city's timeline reveals there was more than an hour delay between the initial runaway juvenile call and officers beginning to search for the suspects. Wilson said that kind of delay has become routine.
"We're at the point where simple runaway juvenile calls, even if they have a report of two kids who are potentially armed in camouflage. Leaving their mom's house in the morning, it was priority 2; the runaway juvenile call was entered, and it took over one hour for a dispatch. Those calls are, on average, in the city of San Diego, holding for over two hours," said Wilson.
The association said it is not questioning how officers responded once gunfire erupted, saying they moved quickly. The union's criticism is directed at department leadership.
"The patrol officers in San Diego are not being given the backup they need to help protect our community," Wilson said.
In a statement, the San Diego Police Department acknowledged staffing challenges, saying that, like many law enforcement agencies nationwide, they have spoken openly about those challenges. The department added that it will be reviewing whether staffing levels played a role in the shooting.
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