By Rick Adams | Paradise Valley
A recent letter, written under the pseudonym Reupert Pavageau, questioned the staffing levels of our Police Department. As a long-time town resident, founding member and 18-year veteran of the PVPD Volunteer Program, and currently a member of the Advisory Committee on Public Safety (ACOPS), I feel both qualified and compelled to respond.
Paradise Valley is a safe community, in no small measure because of the quality, quantity and presence of our police force and its leadership. So, despite being an affluent community, it is not target rich largely because of those things. In other words, peace through strength.
The author quoted some crime statistics from March, a single month, which happened to be a quieter month in terms of reported crimes (one of the many statistics kept by the PVPD). Yet officers also responded to 676 dispatched calls, initiated over 4,100 proactive activities, handled crashes, DUIs, warrant arrests.
The “overstaffing” claim fails to account for the realities of 24/7 law enforcement coverage. Officers must work around vacations, training, illnesses, injuries, retirements, vacancies and recruiting competition. For the first time in many years, we are currently at full staff – a notable and commendable achievement.
Many of the “outreach” programs involve community safety/awareness and quite a few are, as the author recommended, handled by volunteers, such as the blood drive, auto show, shredding event and YANA (You Are Not Alone).
We are blessed with as fine a Police Department as exists in the country. Paradise Valley’s current police staffing reflects the town’s values: safety, professionalism and service. We should be proud — not critical — of a department that consistently delivers on all three.
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