AUBURN-
The wives of Auburn Police officers held signs Friday afternoon in front of City Hall.
They claim their husbands are not safe on the job because the Police Department is understaffed and lacking resources.
The group feels the manhunt that ended in Auburn last month was an example of the lack of resources in the police department.
They say resources and staff have been dwindling for years. Wives we spoke to tell us there are currently 16 officers in the department and that’s ten fewer than several years earlier.
Four weeks ago, Auburn PD responded when a crime spree that killed two local deputies ended with a manhunt here in their city.
That day, FOX40 learned police radios failed and officers were unable to access their AR-15 assault rifles. That’s the same type of gun suspect Marcelo Marquez is accused of using to kill Placer County Sheriff’s Detective Michael Davis.
The women tell FOX40 they understand that budget cuts happen – but they say it’s gone too far.
“It just showed that things do happen in Auburn. It can happen anywhere and we need to always be prepared and just been so short staffed we weren’t prepared for that,” Cathleen Dalton said.
“I understand it’s to save money but when under-staffing is at such a critical level in law-enforcement were talking about safety issues. So we are very concerned as wives or husbands and our children but were also concerned about the community,” Peggy Hardesty said.
During the demonstration, the city of Auburn releases a press release, saying this week city officials decided to start monthly meetings with the police chief, the police officers union representative to address concerns.
They city says Auburn is a small town with limited resources but they will work to make improvements.
