Not to minimize what happened to you. Being a victim sucks. I do believe the cops could he a little more empathetic on calls like these. A simple “sorry you were a victim” would be a good start.

Realize property crimes take up a bulk of police calls everyday. Imagine being a detective working a case load of hundreds. Now imagine a crime with no suspect information, no serial numbers, no video evidence etc. Not much to say except sorry. Here in SLC detectives do a great job working cases that have follow up: they utilize the online adds, pawn shop database, known offender database, etc. They work hard.

Ideally, to support detectives you’d have specialty squads of officers working undercover details, utilizing real-time crime statistics and predictive policing.

Patrol officers would also be of huge benefit. Most seasoned patrol officers know their beats like the back of their hands. Ideally, they would be proactive in making subject stops and consensual street contacts. They know the problem areas and they know the criminals that live there.

That being said, we are facing an epidemic in law enforcement: the largest reduction and retention of police officers in recent years. This is partly due to what we call the “Ferguson Effect”- rise in crime because of the reduction of proactive police work. Too many officers leaving home for their next shift and being reminded by their spouse “don’t get on YouTube”, or fear of idiots like the city councilwoman (Amy Fowler) in SLC that called a justifiable police shooting of a robbery suspect “murder”. Or what is going on in Seattle (taking over four city blocks by protesters who then took over the Police precinct). I mean, it’s hard to go to work and want to make on-view stops. Too many risks involved with being hung out to dry by police administrators and politicians-and news media.

Here in SLC we have lost almost 100 officers since the riot last year. Officers don’t like to see their co-workers hospitalized while at the same time the mayor (Erin Mendenhall) get on television and encourage people to call and complain on any officers they feel mistreated them during the riots. They also don’t like to see a District Attorney (Sim Gill) refuse to prosecute rioters to the fullest extent of the law. They become demoralized when they are forced into overtime all summer long to babysit “protestors” who want to take over city streets and march up and down State Street. So you see a mass exodus of legitimately great officers to neighboring agencies, where they get paid more and treated better. Or they just quit and go work somewhere else-anywhere but law enforcement.

Consequently the detective that should be working follow up on the burglary or theft is forced out into patrol to cover the massive influx of calls for service because crime is out of control and there are not enough officers to handle what is going on. Like putting a bandaid on an arterial bleed.

Right now in SLC there are often calls for service not being responded to for 24 hours. I know of one domestic violence with injuries that held for 15 hours. This is unacceptable.

Erin Mendenhall and council members don’t seem to understand the law of unintended consequences. If you allow a section of downtown SLC to be painted over with “victims” of police shootings (justifiable according to the DA), fail to publicly support their officers, and agree to pay the firefighters and other city employees a $2000 COVID bonus, but only pay police $500, you will see a mass exodus of officers.

I could also go on and mention how horrible the police retirement is.

I realize this went waaaaaaaay off topic, but this crap is going on and nary a word from the media about this crisis. I see things getting much worse before it even resembles being adequate. Who in their right mind would want to be a police officer in 2021?

Sorry about your property being stolen. Seriously. Having been a victim myself I get it.