NORFOLK, Va. — The Norfolk Police Department is trying something new to work around their staffing shortages.
They are down 261 officers and with a summer surge in crime, they’re reallocating their resources.
Jules Blumenthel, a Norfolk native, spends a lot of his time fundraising on the street. But in the last year, he said he’s had to change the way he works.
"I don’t usually feel safe coming out here after dark anymore," he said.
When you talk about gun violence in Norfolk, Coronado/Inglenook Civic League President Garnzie West said he knows exactly how to describe it.
"I can sum it up in one word-- it’s disgusting," he said.
Starting Wednesday, Norfolk police are trying something new to help —reorganizing their department.
While the department is down more than 260 officers, they’re pulling some officers off administrative duty and specialty units and into patrol cars.
"Our goal is to ensure that every patrol car district is full," said Norfolk Police Sgt. William Pickering.
West is all for that idea.
"It’s a good thing. It’s a damn good thing," West said.
Blumenthel agrees there needed to be a shift in resources
"A lot of the issues come from like the police not allocating themselves to the appropriate times, appropriate places," he said.
They’re also using technology to fill the gap and manage the 17,000 monthly calls for service.
Now, they’re cutting down on in-person officer responses to some non-emergency calls including hit and runs, stolen cars and burglaries.
Non-emergency calls will get referred to the department’s NPD Live program and the Telephone Response Unit. Residents can also file a non-emergency report through the Online Citizens Reporting System, the MyNorfolk app and the online portal.
"You have to do what you have to do, and I do think that [Interim] Chief Goldsmith is doing a good job on making that decision," said West.
West and Blumenthel both agree nothing is off the table when it comes to trying to curb the violence. They said they’re glad to see the department taking a step forward and attempting to work around their staffing problems.