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As she pulled up outside the shattered front door of her friend’s shop on First Street, Kimberly Latham realized she was the first to arrive at the break-in.
With the sun yet to rise on Father’s Day, Latham, the owner of the adjacent shop, decided to wait for police arrival in her car with the high beams on and her hand over the horn in case anyone tried to enter the store.
Three hours and 50 minutes later, officers arrived.
In times of emergency, Latham expects a timely response. But that’s increasingly not the case in Long Beach, as response times surge among a police department that struggles to fill its ranks.
An analysis of city data found that for all but the highest-priority requests, Long Beach police officers are taking more than 20 minutes longer to respond than they did three years ago. This largely due to the fact that, as of last month, the department had 155 vacancies — about one in five officers.
Delays were longest in second and third priority calls, which include crimes like theft, arson and other property crimes that have potential for violence. Compared with July 2021, averages of either call type rose from about 31 minutes to 51 minutes and from 43 to 64 minutes, respectively, in July 2024
Responses to priority 1 “life-threatening” calls, which involve assault and other serious crimes, rose to five minutes and 48 seconds — nearly a minute and a half increase — in the same period of time.
Violent crime, meanwhile, decreased by 3.7% last month compared to July 2023. Commercial theft, however, rose 67.6% in the same period.
The lag shows a stark reality for Long Beach residents: If you dial 911, expect to wait— even if the situation is so serious that department policy calls for an “immediate” response.
Following the department’s budget presentation at the Aug. 13 City Council meeting, councilmember Kristina Duggan complained about the decline in traffic stops and citations citywide, saying her office is overwhelmed with calls from residents who witness motorists routinely flout the law.
“I know it’s because of vacancies,” Duggan said. “But I do think we need to somehow come up with more traffic enforcement and how can we prioritize that.”
In January 2022, as the city was in the midst of a pandemic, the department had 42 vacancies. A year later it was 122. And 127 the year after. As of July this year, the department was short 155 sworn officers. It’s especially bad in the traffic enforcement division, which operates at half its budgeted staff.
Lt. Rich Chambers, president of the Long Beach Police Officers’ Association, told ABC7 in April this is “the greatest number of vacancies” he’s seen in nearly 30 years. Chambers did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
One recently retired senior officer blamed low morale in the police department and high attrition rates in the police academy on lack of trust in leadership.
“You are treating the officers like numbers, just bodies,” the senior officer said on the condition of anonymity. “Officers feel unappreciated, they feel unseen, they feel ignored.”
The Post requested data on attrition rates, but has not received the information.
City officials, however, touted the recent success of the police academy, which has offered hefty incentives in exchange for staying in Long Beach at least one year.
Three academies have graduated in the last 18 months; two more are set to commence by next summer, just as the city looks to finish its new, two-acre academy.
Careful with his wording, LBPD Police Chief Wally Hebeish said at the Aug. 13 meeting that nationwide there are fewer people interested in law enforcement as a profession, and it’s increasingly tough to replace the “growing number of retirement-eligible” officers — nearly a fifth of the city’s department.
“The police department operates at a relentless pace,” Hebeish said. “Our profession is constrained by often complex and time consuming unfunded legislative mandates, legal changes and continual requests for support and services.”
An analysis by Peace Officers Research Assn. of California last month found that police staffing statewide is at the lowest point in 30 years, highlighting the effect of the public’s frustration and scrutiny over the role of law enforcement.
To make up for the shortage, officers — from the newly enlisted to time-hardened investigators — have been required to work at least one patrol shift each month, on overtime. According to Transparent California, 83 Long Beach police officers earned more than $100,000 in overtime pay last year.
The staffing shortages in Long Beach reflect a statewide deficit of law enforcement, which can prove dangerous for those in need of life-saving intervention.
“My last employee just quit because she didn’t feel safe,” Make Collectives owner Kathleen Engel said inside her shop on First Street.
For several parts of downtown, it’s become an unfortunate rite of passage for one’s store to be targeted, its windows smashed, locks jimmied or merchandise stolen. Shop owners frequent public meetings, saying they feel powerless against theft and harassment from transients. But they’re also frustrated, as the narrative of crime scares away customers.
Engel remains the last employee at her boutique. She sits at a fold-out desk by the door, ajar and bolted with a wooden plank. A display cart blocks the doorway, to keep out transients. But it also scares off business, as passersby stroll past unsure if she’s open.
With a custom mousepad of her son on the desk, Engel remembers 10 years back, when it was safe enough to have him help around the store.
“I’ve been here for 12 years, I love my community,” Engel said. “I love my neighborhood. (But) I don’t have any intention of moving, nor do I have the resources to do so.”