“Clearly, with the 10 percent reduction in our resources, we will have some shortages,” George Turner, Atlanta police Deputy Chief, said in the article. “We’ll be doing everything we can to fill those gaps.”

To help with the problem, the department is requesting that officers take an extra day off every other week instead of working four less hours each week.

“I can’t imagine the troops feel very positive about the fact that their pay is being reduced by 10 percent,” Turner continued. “It’s a very tough time for all of us. I’m thankful to have a job at this point.”

Officials are hoping the cutbacks won’t affect public safety. As officers already work staggered shifts on different days, they’re trying to make sure too many officers don’t take the same day off. If a police zone is lacking officers, the gaps will be filled with workers in other specialty units.

The president of the Atlanta police union, Sgt. Scott Kreher, said the furloughs will not only result in spotty police coverage, but more officers will leave the department for better jobs elsewhere.

“Morale is probably the lowest I’ve ever seen it in my 16 years,” Sgt. Scott Kreher, president of the Atlanta police union, said in the article. “Obviously, when you take a 10 percent pay cut, this is going to have a significant impact on their ability to support themselves.

“What’s going to happen is the officer is going to start feeling abandoned by the city,” Kreher added. “You’re going to see more and more resentment from the officers.”