Police Feel The Strains of War

By Dustin Kass, dustinKass@miconews.com

The war in Iraq hits home every time Osawatomie Police Chief Mike Stiles looks over the department’s work schedule.

Three Osawatomie officers — two full-time and one “very active” part-time — are serving in Iraq. And while the country’s efforts overseas are benefiting from the services of Sgt. John Lofing, patrolman Bill McClain and part-timer Harold Whitley, their absence is having an impact on the department, Stiles and Assistant Police Chief Bob Butters said.

“It’s a big hit when you lose three experienced guys,” Butters said. “It might not have a big impact if it were to happen to Overland Park (Police Department) with all their officers, but we’re talking 25 percent of the department.”

In addition to the three men overseas, who Butters said may return from their tour in November or December, another officer is enrolled in the state law enforcement academy through July.

Fully staffed, the Osawatomie Police Department would have 12 registered officers available, Stiles said. However, he estimates the department has been at full strength for only six months out of the last three years.

The positions of those serving overseas must be available to them when they return, so Stiles said the department has taken steps to fill in the gaps as best it can. He has hired a temporary full-time officer and a part-timer, as the department continues to schedule at least two officers on every shift.

Both Stiles and Butters said they are confident that the department can continue to keep the citizens of Osawatomie safe at the current staffing levels, but Butters also said the shortage impacts the way officers are working.

“It’s harder to be proactive in investigations,” Butters said. “We still do our best there, but part of that is just math — we just don’t have the people.”

The department would still have the smallest staff of any police department in the county even if all its officers were in the country.

The Paola Police Department has 16 officers, while the Louisburg Police Department has 14. The Spring Hill Police Department has 13 officers, as well as an individual devoted primarily to animal control and codes enforcement.

Budget concerns are the biggest roadblock to adding officers to the department, City Manager Bret Glendening said, noting that the idea of increasing the size of the department has been raised before.

“I think our police are doing a tremendous job,” he said. “I also have no doubt that they could use more officers. … The question is, how do we pay for it?”