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Mount Vernon police chief: levy funds six new officers but department will remain well below national staffing levels
Summary
Chief Dan Christman said a recently approved levy will add six officer positions over six years, but Mount Vernon’s projected ratio would rise only from about 1.2 to roughly 1.35 officers per 1,000 residents by 2031 — still far below the modern U.S. average of about 2.5 per 1,000.
Chief Dan Christman said the Mount Vernon Police Department is understaffed and that a voter-approved levy will add six sworn positions, but the city will still fall short of national staffing averages.
"What it means for us, very simple terms, is we get 6 new police positions ... We get 1 officer per year for the next 6 years," Christman said. He cautioned that even after those hires Mount Vernon would reach only about 1.35 officers per 1,000 residents, up from the department’s current roughly 1.2 per 1,000.
The chief placed the shortfall in context, saying the modern U.S. average has moved toward roughly 2.5 officers per 1,000 people while historically some…
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