Violent crime spikes in SLO amid police staffing shortage, report says

The city of San Luis Obispo saw violent crimes such as rape and robbery spike in 2022 as the city Police Department struggled with a severe staffing shortage, according to a new crime data report.

According to the report, which looked at crime and other police operation statistics, SLO had an 18% overall increase in violent crimes last year compared to 2021.

While the number of homicides reported in the city decreased from two in 2021 to zero in 2022, the number of rapes increased by 48%, the data show.

The city also saw a 21% increase in robberies and a 15% increase in aggravated assaults from 2021.

Meanwhile, San Luis Obispo saw a 5% overall decrease in property crimes in 2022 compared to the previous year, the report found.

“Violent crime is on the rise across the country in our post-pandemic communities,” the San Luis Obispo Police Department said. “Regardless, lowering violent crime will be a top priority for 2023.”

According to the report, low staffing levels at the Police Department resulted in a “loss of approximately 24,832 hours, which equates to the absence of almost 12 officers” in 2022, the report said.

“Staffing levels were low due to retirements, numerous long-term on-duty injuries and recruitment and retention challenges,” the SLO Police Department said in the report.

Several specialty units were affected by the shortages, including the Community Action Team, Special Enforcement Team and the Traffic Unit, the agency said, as well as the Investigations Bureau, which is responsible for conducting follow-up investigations of crimes.

SLO police see increase in calls as staffing levels stagnate

According to the latest crime data report the number of calls for help to the SLO Police Department have risen steadily since 2009.

Despite that, staffing levels have remained virtually the same since then, leaving a large gap between the number of calls and the availability of officers to meet the needs of concerned citizens.

“The average uniformed officer handles roughly 900 calls for service per year assuming full staffing levels, or approximately 1,200 calls per year when adjusted for lost time,” the 2022 crime report said.

In the report, the SLO Police Department said it will do a detailed study of this gap soon.

According to the crime report, the agency saw a 32% decrease in cases assigned for follow-up in 2022.

“This significant decrease is a direct reflection of the shortage in the Investigations Bureau along with the Special Enforcement Team not being staffed for 2022,” the Police Department said.

A 2021 shootout that left San Luis Obispo police Det. Luca Benedetti dead and critically injured police Det. Steve Orozco “continued to have a significant effect on the continuity of the bureau,” according to the department.

Calls for help concerning homelessness decrease

Staffing shortages affected the downtown bike team and the Community Action Team, both of which respond to the city’s homelessness concerns among other operations, the crime report said.

The Community Action Team had only one officer and one social worker for the entire year, according to the crime report.

San Luis Obispo County and Transitions-Mental Health Association, a nonprofit organization that partners with the city to address mental health needs, struggled to hire a social worker and case manager throughout 2022, the report said.

“This severely restricts the department’s ability to provide homeless outreach and connection to county services,” the Police Department said.

According to the report, the Police Department faced numerous issues related to homelessness throughout 2022, including an ongoing lawsuit related to the city’s homelessness policies.

Despite that, calls for help concerning homelessness in downtown San Luis Obispo decreased by 2% from 2021, continuing a downward trend since 2016.

Although the overall number of calls for help in the downtown area increased by 32% from 2021, the number of calls is the lowest its been in the past 10 years, the Police Department said.

How can SLO Police Department solve staffing issues?

One of the factors preventing the SLO Police Department from maintaining a full staff was long-term injuries among officers, according to the 2022 crime report.

Additionally, the Police Department faced difficulty in recruiting lateral employees, a nationwide trend among law enforcement agencies, the department said.

In a survey conducted by the Police Forum, a nonprofit police research and policy group, multiple agencies across the nation have struggled to hire lateral recruits. Lateral employees are those who work in similar positions but are looking to transfer to another department or company.

“We’ve seen a 100% reduction in qualified lateral recruits, with zero hired in 2020, compared to an average of three to four annually since 2008,” one survey respondent said.

The SLO Police Department said that “lateral officers complete training in about a third of the time that it takes for a new cadet and allow us to reach full staffing sooner.”

In an effort to combat staffing issues, the SLO Police Department has strengthened outreach on social media and within communities outside of SLO County, implemented a hiring bonus and increased employee morale, the 2022 crime report said.

This story was originally published July 13, 2023 at 8:00 AM.

Lucy Peterson

The Tribune

Lucy Peterson is a reporting intern for The Tribune. She’s originally from Omaha, Nebraska, and graduated from Fordham University in May 2022. She recently earned a Master’s in Journalism from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in May 2023.