Veteran officer says Durham police often operate at half staff

"The citizens of Durham need to know that they are not as protected as they think they are on a regular basis," the officer, who asked not to be identified, told WRAL News in an exclusive interview.

Durham Police Department officials "fudge" staffing levels to make it appear that shifts are adequately staffed when the department may have only half of the officers it needs, the officer said. The numbers are boosted by counting police dogs and trainee officers, as well as by counting regular officers working a few hours of overtime as being on the street for a full shift, he said.

"That literally left no resource for the rest of the city," he said. "So, the rest of the city would have been a free-for-all for criminals to do whatever they wanted."

Durham police slower responding to emergency calls than authorities want

Criminals are well aware of the police department's difficulties, the officer said.

"They can tell when we’re short-staffed. They absolutely know when and what they can get away with," he said.

Officials said the department had 74 vacancies as of last week – nearly 14 percent of its sworn officer positions.

"Staffing percentages for particular shifts vary from day to day," officials said in an email to WRAL. "The Durham Police Department is thankful for all the men and women who are dedicated to the residents they serve and who do their part to keep Durham safe every day."

"Morale is at an all time-low," he said, comparing police department headquarters to "a dungeon."

"The Durham Police Department Recruiting Unit continues to research strategies to recruit and retain qualified police officers. Hiring in many industries across the nation has been challenging over the last year," officials said. "Employees have a variety of reasons for leaving, which can include planned retirements, taking new positions with outside agencies and simply leaving the profession of law enforcement."

Durham can't find enough police officers, which concerns officials and residents alike

Officers feel they are underpaid and underappreciated by Durham officials, the veteran officer said.

Starting police pay in Durham is $38,511, compared with $42,000 in Chapel Hill and $42,300 in Raleigh. Some smaller police forces in the Triangle offer even higher starting salaries: $51,544 in Morrisville, $51,000 in Cary and $50,243 in Wake Forest, for example.

Benefits also have been whittled away from Durham officers, he said. Anyone who worked for the department for at least 20 years was allowed to retain their health benefits, but the department ended that for anyone hired after 2007. Durham also did away with Christmas bonuses for long-time officers, he said.

Meanwhile, some members of the City Council have pushed to cut funding to the police department, the officer said. Durham Mayor Steve Schewel and other city leaders have refuted the argument that they don't support police, pointing to large raises for officers included in the latest city budget.

"I’ve seen bad times, but the pendulum had always swung back our way," he said. "This time, it’s swung so far in the negative, I don’t know if it’ll ever come back."