Belvedere Votes Down Plan To Add Fifth Police Officer
BELVEDERE (CBS SF) -- Residents in a picturesque North Bay city are worried about a sudden rise in crime, and some believe one extra police officer could make all the difference.
Belvedere only has four officers on its police force, and the city just voted against adding a fifth.
Crime rates there usually rank among the lowest in Marin County, but last month that changed when a string of crimes hit, including an attempted armed robbery, and a home burglary.
Some residents think that extra officer could have helped prevent those crimes.
"Prevention is worth a pound of cure, or more than a pound of cure, particularly in this situation because there can be people killed or injured," resident Bill Rothman said.
But, chief Tricia Selyer came to the conclusion that four officers was enough.
"I believe that the staffing that we have is adequate," she said.
Seyler says having four officers and paying them overtime is more efficient than adding a fifth officer because she can assign officers to work just a few hours when crime might be more likely to occur.
Belvedere has the second most officers per resident in the Bay Area.
See which city has the most officers per thousand residents.
