Statement: “We’re treading on water that we haven’t walked on before. Nobody in the San Diego Police Department has had to do this, but it would mean that nonviolent calls — crimes that are not in progress — we might take over the phone as opposed to responding a police officer to them. That’s what other cities have had to do as they cut back personnel and it would be something that we have to look at,” San Diego Police Chief Bill Lansdowne said at a press conference Oct. 5 about proposed cuts to police services next year.
Analysis: San Diego Police Department dispatchers already refer some low-priority crimes to a specialized unit of light-duty officers who take complaints and file crime reports by phone.
Fact Check: When Police Don't Send Officers
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