Baltimore Police grapple with dangerous staff shortage, experts warn of public danger

The dwindling staff at Baltimore's Police Department is dangerously low, according to national police experts.

In Baltimore's Southern Police District on Tuesday, sources say at one point, there were as few as three police officers patrolling a district of more than 61,000 residents.

At several points, radio transmissions called for volunteers to work overtime.

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The department is being forced to postpone training for some officers in order to keep them on the streets.

"You are endangering the lives of police officers on duty and what that does is endanger the lives of the citizens," said Betsy Smith with the National Police Association.

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At a budget hearing last summer, the department's top brass told city council members that its attempting to hire 120 civilians to assist the department.

Until perceptions about police officers change, Smith believes there will be little change in recruitment.