El Paso City Manager, Police Chief Differ on ‘Police Shortage’

El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen made it pretty clear last week: He desperately needs more officers.

But numbers released Tuesday by the City Manager’s office don’t exactly paint as bleak a picture.

During a December 14th news conference, Allen said he needs between 300 and 400 more officers on patrol.

City Manager Joyce Wilson told ABC-7 Allen knows that goal is unrealistic given city budget constraints.

During Tuesday’s city council meeting, Wilson told the representatives her office estimates the force is really only down about 100 to 120 officers.

Wilson also said El Paso will end the year with 1,091 police officers and is set to add 50 more to the force with two classes of the police academy.

Assistant Police Chief Eric Shelton said Allen’s call to add 300-400 officers was really aimed at cutting police response times, no matter the priority.

“He wants us to get to a (call of a) barking dog as quick as we get to a burglary or a robbery,” Shelton said.

But that’s not quite the way Chief Allen put it during last week’s news conference.

“…Until the city comes up and starts supporting (police) in a manner I think is more efficient,” he said, “Things are going to start getting bad. And then with us sitting on the border here? It’s just a matter of time before something happens.”

During Tuesday’s meeting, City Representative Emma Acosta said she realizes Allen is under tremendous pressure to keep El Paso’s safety ranking where it is.

But Representative Eddie Holguin told ABC-7 giving Chief Allen more officers costs money and should be left up to voters.

“Do people want more officers? Yes. Can the community afford a $40 million increase to the budget? Well, I don’t think they can,” he said.

Wilson said city officials will sit down before this summer’s round of budget talks to come to a consensus on what the police department needs.