NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- With a $22 million budget shortfall, the City of North Las Vegas is again planning for cuts to staff and services. Among those already approved are a reduction in the city's existing vehicle fleet, including police vehicles.
While the savings may add up to half a million dollars or more, some question whether it's worth the cost to public safety.
About a month ago, officers with the North Las Vegas Police Department started doubling up in squad cars in response to the city's request for the return of dozens of police vehicles.
While their sale, according to the city, will bring in needed revenue, the cost to public safety is harder to calculate -- though two heads may be better than one when it comes to solving problems.
Officers Matthew Fox and Brian Godkin haven't decided how two-man teams apply to fighting crime. The pair recently teamed up for the first time since the academy.
"You may see a spike in criminal activity just from not seeing the vehicles around -- not seeing the police vehicles," said Officer Godkin.
Instead of 20 single-person units patrolling the streets on an average shift, the department now deploys the same number of officers in half the number of cars. It is a strategic response, the department says, to the loss of nearly three dozen vehicles, including patrol cars.
"I'm not going to shoot it down just on my thought that, well, it will cause crime to go up if there's fewer police cars out there. We don't know that. A lot of us would say that, but we don't know that," said North Las Vegas Police Sgt. Tim Bedwell.
Though updated crime and response statistics are weeks away, Officers Fox and Godkin too predict the reduced police presence will threaten public safety.
But a robbery in progress at a nearby pharmacy reveals the added benefit of their newfound partnership. In pursuit of an armed gunman, each has immediate back-up.
"As a single-man unit, you can find yourself waiting for your back-up to arrive. Where in this situation, your back-up is with you," said Officer Fox.
This day, nearly every North Las Vegas patrol officer in two-person teams is tied up at one of three violent incidents -- non-urgent calls like most burglaries, car thefts and shoplifting's will have to wait.
"For officer safety reasons, it's probably a good thing. For citizens having visibility of the police, it's probably a bad thing," said Officer Godkin.
Back on patrol, Fox and Godkin joke the two-way conversation beats to talking to themselves, even if they can't say how it will affect others who need their attention.
The city expects to sell a total of 60 or 70 vehicles, the bulk identified as high-mileage or underutilized. While many of the cars will go to auction next month, the city plans to stagger the sale of its marked police vehicles to ensure the department can safely get by with what's left.
