How dire have things become on Hale's watch? Consider a recent report from The Birmingham News
Hale said the reduction would have an adverse impact on public safety in Jefferson County.
"We have lost about 70 deputy sheriffs that we could not replace over the last two years due to funding cuts," he said. "We have a jail that is closed and one that is busting at the seams. I don't know how we can stand to lose any more. We can't buy uniforms; we have no money for cars. We have no capital accounts, so it comes down to losing more personnel."
In essence, Hale said, residents of Jefferson County and surrounding areas are about to become less safe:
The reduction in personnel, said Hale, would mean his office has "less call takers and less call responders; slower response time and officer safety issues because of lack of backup; backlogs on court papers served; (and) less detectives to investigate, solve cases and bring criminals to justice."
"It impacts our ability to serve victims after a crime," he said. "It will mean more drugs on the streets, more criminals on the streets, no proactive crime fighting. It will impact our ability to track convicted sex offenders."
If you live in the Birmingham area, as I do, you can be on the lookout for a convicted sex offender--and rest assured that law enforcement will be nowhere in sight.
Those Republicans know how to fight crime, don't they?
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