Colorado Springs Police response times up nearly a minute in 2021

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- The ongoing labor shortage, paired with Colorado Springs' continued growth, is continuing to impact the police response times.  Colorado Springs Police Chief Vince Niski said Tuesday morning on KRDO NewsRadio said that that the local department is currently down 84 to 100 patrol officers and also seeing staffing shortages in the communication and dispatch center.

Niski is asking city residents to have patience.

“I know when you have a crime committed against you it’s a priority, and it’s a priority to us," Niski said. "We’ll get there as soon as we can. Please don’t take it out on employees that their response isn’t what it should be.”

Early in 2021, the average CSPD response time sat at about 11 minutes for a priority one call. In July of 2021, the average response time increased to 11:51.

You can listen to Chief Niski's full interview here.