FMPD staffing audit recommends adding 61 more officers

The University of Cincinnati just released the results of their staffing study of the Fort Myers Police Department, and they say the FMPD doesn’t have enough officers to adequately police the city.

Fort Myers Police Chief Derrick Diggs requested the study, and the results say the department should have at least 61 more officers for a total of 253 total sworn police to keep up with the city’s bursting population.

The University of Cincinatti used three methods to calculate exactly how many officers they need.

“You have to think of the safety of the officers if they’re understaffed and his officers or not don’t have a safe place to work people deserve that,” said Rev. Allison Farnum who is the Lee Interfaith For Empowerment (LIFE) Co-President.

One method compared Fort Myers to other cities with a similar population and violent crime level, those cities have an average of 128 more officers keeping their city safe.

The city is also facing limited “proactive policing” or stopping crime before it happens.

“You see some police officers in the area but I think it’s important, just their presents as a preventative measure,” Rev. Farnum said.

Farnum says that by releasing the report, the FMPD is one step closer to turning the recommendations into a reality.

“Chief Diggs has shown himself through evidence, through his actions that he is for filling his promises and commitments,” Farnum said.

The report also calls for 16 detectives to be assigned to the investigative unit and for those detectives to carefully screen the cases they take on.