City staff members are recommending that the Northern California city of Vallejo declare a state of emergency because so few police officers remain in the city.
The recommendation, according to city documents, comes as Vallejo Police "has now reached a critical stage in staffing," with just 43 sworn officers to patrol the entire city, which has a population of 120,000.
Declaring a state of emergency would broaden City Manager Mike Malone's responsibilities and obligate him to "take all reasonable and legal steps to ensure that all available resources are provided to the police department," the Napa Valley Register reports.
Vallejo Police has lost five officers since March, according to city documents — leaving just nine supervisors and 34 officers available for patrol as of Saturday. Staffing has gotten so problematic; the police department has temporarily disbanded its traffic division and has begun rotating one detective per week to work a patrol shift.
