Baker City Police not yet returning to 24-Hour patrols despite increased staffing
By Joe Hathaway on Thursday, June 27th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY — The Baker City Police Department (BCPD) remains committed to ensuring public safety, but 24-hour patrols are not resuming at this time despite the department now being fully staffed.
The department has already hired four new officers this year, a key goal of Chief Ty Duby to address staffing shortages that have persisted for a significant time. Last November, due to these shortages, Chief Duby announced the end of 24-hour patrols, reducing early morning patrol coverage.
While the recent hirings have bolstered the department, Chief Duby says practical challenges remain.
“Even though on paper we’re fully staffed, I’ve got three in the academy, so technically they’re no use to me right now. Plus, I’ve got one officer on leave for personal reasons. So, technically we’re still four down,” Duby explained.
Since November, BCPD has not patrolled during a four to five-hour period in the early morning, typically between 2:00 AM to 6:00 AM or 3:00 AM to 7:00 AM. However, the department continues to respond to urgent calls during these hours, particularly those involving crimes in progress. A police supervisor is always on duty and can assign an officer to respond if necessary.
“We always have and will continue to respond to calls that need to be responded to,” Duby reaffirmed.
Despite the reduced patrol hours, Duby says that the department has managed to maintain public safety effectively. “We get a few calls in those early morning hours, most of them are pretty minor. We do have to respond once in a while, but so far, we’ve been able to maintain,” he said.
Duby says the department will reassess the situation once the new officers complete their training and are fully integrated into the force. Until then, The Chief says BCPD remains vigilant and ready to serve the community.
