Police address ongoing staff shortage

rana novini in for heather tonight. and i’m james jarman. first up tonight … more public outcry about the police department in pueblo. last night, we told you about a woman .. covered in bruises .. from an assault that she says happened last week. she says, despite police department promises.. it wasn’t until we called the department yesterday.. that officers followed up with her. tonight — krdo newschannel 13’s michelle san miguel is asking why cases like this are being ignored. michelle — we continue to report about the officer shortage.. but what’s being done about it? police say they need more than a dozen officers. while they have stepped up patrols… some cries for help continue to go unanswered. one week after being attacked in her home …. she still has the bruises to prove it. “he knocked me down and said where’s my money? i said i don’t have any money.” adding to the stress — she ?o?n?o?o???? says police told her they’d patrol her home…but she says that didn’t happen. “i’m really upset because if they would be doing their job like they should be doing, things like this wouldn’t be happening.” deput chief troy davenport says the department may have been able to follow up sooner…if it had more officers. 13:53:57 potentially we may have been able to have someone drop by there and check in on her. it’s very unfortunate that any of these kinds of things happen. nat pop of police cruiser but right now — the department is short 14 officers — budget cuts have left those positions unfunded for several years. 13:51:48 i do know that we do have a manpower crisis and concern. it’s a concern council president steve nawrocki says he plans to talk with city council about during tomorrow’s budget meeting. 14:17:33 if there’s 14 <p shortage of officers, that would be my goal is to be able to replace them as quickly as possible at least over the next two years. as for margaret, she hopes a bigger police presence will prevent more people from becoming victims. “it was awful, it isn anything i’d wish on anybody.” at least 10 <p officers are always on patrol in pueblo — just a few months ago that number was 8. and there are thirteen recruits in the police academy right now…but they won’t be able to start patrolling on their own until april or