The Dallas Police Department is about to undergo a shake-up — including possible demotions — to put more officers on patrol, re

ports the Dallas Morning News .

Hundreds of officers have left the department in the last year, leaving fewer officers working the streets. In that time, officers have been slower to respond to emergency calls.

Chief U. Renee Hall said Monday she plans to significantly reduce the number of assistant chiefs and deputy chiefs who oversee the department. She is also considering reducing the number of detectives in investigative units and officers serving on task forces.

Her plan may mean that some officers serving as assistant chief could be demoted to lieutenant and that some detectives could be put in patrol, which Hall called the "backbone" of the department.

"We've lost nearly 500 officers, so we need to reflect that at the top," she said. "I'm assessing the Police Department as a whole."

Hall shared her plans to combat spikes in crime and reduce response times Monday at a meeting of the City Council's public safety committee.