Tulsa to end response to minor incidents

[INIT915 1,119]

http://www.officer.com/online/article.jsp?siteSection=1&id=50568

Tulsa police have temporarily stopped responding to non-injury crashes and some property-crime report calls such as fraud and larceny unless a suspect is present at the time, authorities announced Thursday.

"Almost a third of our uniformed officers were laid off. It was inevitable that we were going to have to re-evaluate how we were responding to calls, and these are the steps we felt like we had to take to maintain our response to the higher priority calls," Officer Jason Willingham said.

[Guest]

I feel like not responding to Property Damage accidents probably makes a stink with insurance companies and their payouts, the other things make sense. If someone thinks someone is stolen, then they can take pictures or whatever they think they need and go to the Department and fill the paperwork out there, there's no emergency.

[helicopper 1,050]

I feel like not responding to Property Damage accidents probably makes a stink with insurance companies and their payouts, the other things make sense. If someone thinks someone is stolen, then they can take pictures or whatever they think they need and go to the Department and fill the paperwork out there, there's no emergency.

Don't know how it is in MD or CT but in NY there is no legal obligation to respond to property damage accidents. It is incumbent on the operators to report the accident to DMV. Police reports are required for injury/fatal accidents or those involving certain vehicles under certain conditions. Insurance companies don't dictate whether or not a police report is completed (though they may think that they do).

Just a sign of the times, it's going to continue getting worse before it gets any better. The real thing to note is that they laid off 1/3 of their uniformed officers. THAT is the real issue.

NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law:

§ 603. Accidents; police authorities and coroners to report. 1. Every

police or judicial officer to whom an accident resulting in injury to a

person shall have been reported, pursuant to the foregoing provisions of

this chapter, shall immediately investigate the facts, or cause the same

to be investigated, and report the matter to the commissioner forthwith;

provided, however, that the report of the accident is made to the police

officer or judicial officer within five days after such accident. Every

coroner, or other official performing like functions, shall likewise

make a report to the commissioner with respect to all deaths found to

have been the result of motor vehicle or motorcycle accidents. Such

report shall include information on the width and length of trucks,

tractors, trailers and semitrailers, which are in excess of ninety-five

inches in width or thirty-four feet in length and which are involved in

such accidents, whether such accident took place in a work area and

whether it was being operated with an overweight or overdimension

permit. Such report shall distinctly indicate and include information

as to whether the inflatable restraint system inflated and deployed.

Nothing contained in this subdivision shall be deemed to preclude a

police officer from reporting any other accident which, in the judgment

of such police officer, would be required to be reported to the

commissioner by the operator of a vehicle pursuant to section six

hundred five of this article.

2. In addition to the requirements of subdivision one of this section,

every police officer or judicial officer to whom an accident shall have

been reported involving a commercial vehicle as defined in either

subdivision four of section five hundred one-a or subdivision one of

section five hundred nine-p of this chapter shall immediately

investigate the facts, or cause the same to be investigated and report

the matter to the commissioner forthwith, provided that the report of

the accident is made to the police officer or judicial officer within

five days after such accident, whenever such accident has resulted in

(i) a vehicle being towed from the accident scene as the result of

incurring disabling damage, (ii) a fatality, or (iii) any individual

being transported to a medical facility to receive treatment as the

result of physical injury sustained in the accident.

[JBE 328]

It is sad that 1/3 of the force had to be laid off. Not a good sign. Watch crime rates spike.

[v85 212]

I hope there are exceptions for special circumstances, for example if a driver is believed to be intox.

I don't agree with not responding to cold larcenies though. That is still a crime and should still get some law enforcement response. A better soultion would be to do like some departments in California and Florida do and have non-sworn personnel (often called Community Service Officers or Police Service Aides/Assistants) respond to take the report. Leaving it up to a civilian to take their own photos, etc. could have very bad results in court.

[JJB531 652]

I hope there are exceptions for special circumstances, for example if a driver is believed to be intox.

I don't agree with not responding to cold larcenies though. That is still a crime and should still get some law enforcement response. A better soultion would be to do like some departments in California and Florida do and have non-sworn personnel (often called Community Service Officers or Police Service Aides/Assistants) respond to take the report. Leaving it up to a civilian to take their own photos, etc. could have very bad results in court.

If someone wants to report a past crime (one that is not in progress or one where the perpetrator is not on scene) or a petit larceny or another "non-index" crime that does not fall within the 7 major crimes (Felony assault, Burglary, Robbery, Grand Larceny, Grand Larceny Auto, Homicide, and Rape), there really is no reason why an individual can't head down to the local precinct and file a complaint. It's ridiculous to waste a patrol officers time taking a report for a harrassment complaint that occurred a week ago when the complainant can file the report at the local precinct.

I understand police services are all about serving the public and blah, blah, blah because the publics taxes pay our salaries blah, blah, blah... but when you have patrol officers tied up taking reports for minor offenses and offenses that are not even investigated after the initial report is filed, it takes away from that officers ability to focus their attention on more significant matters while out on patrol.

[v85 212]

That's just the thing. These CSO/PSA's are NOT patrol officers. They are civilians, usually people waiting to get into the academy (paid at a lower rate, often part-time so no benefits or retirement to be concerned about) who are trained in report taking, basic crime scene, animal control, parking enforcement, traffic direction, maybe OC spray for self-defense, and their job is to handle cold low-priority calls, and non-criminal matters to free up sworn officers.

Although, if they laid off half of the force, they may not have the money to expand or create such a program.