Tiny police departments offer community connection. But critics say they lack the training, expertise and accountability that bigger agencies can provide.
While supporters of such agencies say they provide a personal touch that bigger police departments can’t match, critics say they often lack the training, expertise and accountability expected in today’s world of heavily armed criminals and heightened scrutiny of officers.
It’s difficult or impossible, however, for these departments to match the resources of bigger ones — resources that go into things like training, communications systems, body cameras and professional standards units. One officer, Martique Vanderpool, faces state and federal charges after he was accused in 2019 of stopping a 19-year-old for speeding and threatening to jail her unless she had sex with him. His lawyer Joseph Wright said Vanderpool"believes he will be fully exonerated at trial.”The Fairmount Heights chief and other officers resigned soon after Vanderpool’s departure.one of the town’s remaining officers, Philip Dupree, on charges of kidnapping, perjury and misconduct in office.
But Weisburd said the advantages of scale for larger police forces, such as specialized units and data-driven crime prevention strategies, are clear. “I don’t really see how you make a defense for a six-member police department.”The spotlight was cast on a tiny department in Pennsylvania this month, when the small town of TiogaIn that state and across the nation, officer shortages are spurring many small agencies to consider merging with neighbors. In the area around Scranton, Pa.
By taking advantage of the sheriff’s office’s economy of scale, a small town or city will “save a boatload of money,” Gualtieri said.
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