Communities and states throughout the United States and nations around the world are confronting severe economic hardships. The scope and the scale of this crisis have left many without jobs or dependable income and have depleted the resources of local and state governments. It is clearly a difficult time.

This economic downturn presents a real challenge to police chiefs, the departments we lead, and the communities we serve. It will affect not only the incidence of crime in our communities but also the types of crime we see. It will impact the resources we have available for patrol, and it will also reduce, if not eliminate, many of the private-sector resources on which we have come to rely as partners in the criminal justice system.