- Police chief Larry Weeks says the last few months have been difficult for his staff.
- The Eaton Rapids police department, has been short-staffed since this summer
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
The Eaton Rapids police department, has been short-staffed since this summer and and is taking a toll on the department.
"Due to our limited staffing, it's just hard for us to be, as proactive as we would like, the city has us budgeted for 10 full time, and one half time officer, we are currently operating today with six officers," Eaton Rapids police chief Larry weeks said.
Police chief Larry Weeks says the last few months have been difficult for his staff.
When the department is fully staffed, his officers work four 12 hour shifts, now they're working six to seven 12-hour shifts a week.
"We have three working the road, plus the chief who is working the road, so we have four people covering 24 hours a day seven days a week,"
Recruiting has been slow despite their best efforts.
"It's slow here"
They've also tried posting to social media. but no luck.
"Word of mouth with officers recruiting and trying to reach out to people they know, and get people in the door that way, seems to be the best way,"
In the meantime, chief weeks is pulling out all the stops to support his community and continue to keep it safe. Chief weeks says his team remains resilient during this time.
"I have a great staff here, the people that are here are committed and enjoy working for the city of Eaton rapids,"
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