Regarding Raymond Ballesteros’ letter (“Officer shortage causes harm,” Our Readers’ Views, June 30), while I would argue against the idea that an officer shortage is the cause of an irresponsible man’s selfish and destructive choice to drive under the influence, I think he touches on a great point regarding officer distribution in Clark County.
The lack of officers patrolling in unincorporated and/or rural Clark County is concerning. Not only is the lack of officers in more rural areas increasing response times for community members needing law enforcement, but it can also prevent medical and fire first responders from completing their jobs if a scene needs to be cleared first. I understand the employee-to-geographic territory ratio is not perfect, but only seeing officers in the area when something is wrong is not a very proactive approach to law enforcement. Additional patrolling in unincorporated Clark County could make huge, positive changes in the lives of residents.
