Quincy citizens concerned for safety

Police department lacks staff

QUINCY — More than 40 citizens attended the Quincy City Council meeting Tuesday to discuss their feelings of a lack of safety.

Recently the Quincy Police Department has been understaffed. The lack of police officers leaves some residents to feel unsafe.

"My major concern is the rise in crime," citizen Pat Husband said. "I became more and more concerned with the inadequate police staffing. Senior citizens and single people are afraid."

She shared how her 89-year-old neighbor's home was burglarized and her phone line was cut.

"She laid in bed from two o'clock to eight o'clock," she said because her neighbor was too scared to leave her residence.

One man was concerned about citizens being unaware of what to do about crime.

"It's not us versus (police), it's us versus the dirtbags out there," Quincy Valley Post-Register newspaper Editor Chuck Allen said. "You call me up and (ask) what the heck are the people doing."

Citizens need to report the crimes they witness to help resolve crime issues rather than leave it all up to the understaffed police, he said.

Many citizens disagreed. Some felt they have reported crime adequately.

Over the past 15 years, citizen Leah Wells' vehicle was broken into three times. In a one-week period it was broken into two times, she said. While she was waiting to get her vehicle repaired from the break-in, the vehicle she was borrowing was broken into.

After one of the incidents she said she followed the suspect, got all the information she could on the vehicle including a license plate number and reported it to the police.

"We turned in the information and nothing," Wells said. "We had no correspondence back."

Police Chief William Gonzales said she should have received an update of what happened from an officer.

Citizens, council and the chief agreed one of the biggest issues facing the department is getting enough staff and keeping them.

The department has nine officers and the chief to patrol the city. To be fully staffed, the department needs three additional officers.

Gonzales has been searching for applicants to fill the positions.

In October and November of 2006, $1,200 was spent in advertisements to attract officers to the department.

There is specific criteria to be met in order to get on board with the department.

"We've tried to get experienced police officers into the city," he said.

To hire on an entry level position costs more and takes longer to train the officer, he said. It is a matter of six weeks of training for a lateral hire versus eight months of training for an entry-level officer.

Last year, three officers left the department to work at the Grant County Sheriff's Office, he said. So, three more were hired on to replace them. Later, one resigned for undisclosed personal reasons while the other left to go to medical school. He is expecting to lose one more to retirement, putting them back to where they started, he said.

It has been difficult to fill the positions because Gonzales is looking for quality applicants.

"We weren't receiving the type of people we wanted," he said. "I'm not going to put somebody in here just to fill a slot."

It is a long process to hire an officer.

The department is reviewing four applicants for the positions.

To hire a new police officer requires a background check, a polygraph test and a psychological evaluation. The officer receives an additional six months worth of training if hired and 18 months of probation, he said.

It takes eight to nine months before an officer is allowed to be on their own, he said.

Gonzales continues to urge citizens to assist the department while they search for additional staff by reporting crimes. An anonymous tip line is offered at 509-787-4718 ext. 305