Dresden Says It Needs More Police
What some call an understaffed police station in Dresden is raising concerns. Officials say hiring a few more officers would help the situation. The short-handed department and heavy load of calls lately have been a concern for the town. This has caused Chief of Police Randall Walker to request more officers, as his roster of eight, constantly finds itself overloaded and overworked. “The officers that we do have do a very good job, the problem is that if they’re having to make responses to calls all the time they may not be able to do some other things that they need to be doing, following leads or working certain investigative cases,” says Gwin Anderson, Dresden Alderman. In just three months, records show more than 1,600 calls came into the office, which is high for a small town like Dresden, and according to the chief, pushing other cases to the side. The next step is for a council advisory committee to look at the problem before taking any final action. According to Anderson having more officers would provide better coverage for the citizens to have that as well as being able to have more educated workforce. The extra time would also allow officers to take time off to go to in-service training, which Anderson says they have not been able to do because of overtime problems. “We are trying to provide the best police department that we need in the City of Dresden in order for the citizens to feel secure in their homes,” says Anderson.
