MT. VERNON — While the Mt. Vernon Police Department continues to protect and serve the city’s residents, they are doing it shorthanded. The city currently only has 29 officers on the payroll that can patrol out of the 43 budgeted for the department because of a variety of officer departures.

Mt. Vernon Police Chief Trent Page says the coronavirus has not helped in getting officers-in-training into the field quicker.

Page says the city’s school resource officers have been pulled back into patrol since the spring and shift commanders have also been on the streets. He asks the public to always be vigilant and call authorities if they witness a crime or suspicious behavior, saying it will help keep the community safer.