Will Thousands of Police Layoffs Unleash Chaos and Anarchy Across America?

That is the question asked by one Michael Snyder, the editor of a blog called "The Economic Collapse." Snyder, in a column posted last night, reports that a billboard in Stockton, California, is perfectly clear on that question: "Welcome to the 2nd most dangerous city in California. Stop laying off cops." The Stockton Police Officers Association plans to spend $20,000 on 20 more such billboards, because the city is considering a plan to lay off 53 officers to help close a $23 million deficit in its budget. But law enforcement in Stockton has already been slashed. A spokesman for the department told the local Fox-TV affiliate on Wednesday that "We absolutely do not have any narcotics officers, narcotics sergeants working any kind of investigative narcotics type cases at this time."

The report quotes a couple of city residents expressing near panic at the likely consequences of no drug investigations, and the police concur. "Drugs are a breeding ground for many other activities," the spokesman said, "and if these are going more and more unchecked, one would have to speculate that you're going to see a rise across the board in those types of criminal activities."

Snyder cites a number of other examples to make his point that police departments across the country are disintegrating, including a number not previously noted by this news service, including:

* Ashtabula County, Ohio where the sheriff's department has been slashed from 112 to 49 deputies. When a county judge was asked what people are supposed to do to protect themselves, he said "arm themselves."

* Illinois, where the director of the state police announced, earlier this year, that 460 troopers would be laid off and five regional headquarters would be closed by the fall.

* Toledo, Ohio, where 130 patrol officers were laid off because of a $20.7 million budget deficit.

* New Jersey, where more than half of 315 municipalities responded to a canvass by the New Jersey State Policeman's union that they were planning to lay off police officers.

Then there are the latest rounds of police and firefighter layoffs:

* Newark, NJ: Budget documents obtained by the Newark Star-Ledger show that the city is planning to lay off 181 to 263 police officers to close a $16.7 million deficit in its budget, in a city historically plagued by crime. Mayor Cory Booker said, yesterday, that the layoffs can be avoided if the police unions accept furloughs and other concessions. The police department has already taken actions to cut costs, such as the demotions of 107 officers to lower rank.

* Stockton, California: The police and firefighters union each filed new lawsuits against the city this week. The firefighters want a closed fire station reopened, and the police suit is over suspended pay hikes and shift changes they say were improper. Eighteen police officers have been laid off so far, and the city says another 40 will go if the firefighters win their case.

* Eureka, California: The police chief told the city council they're not taking about paper clips, when they talk about taking $1 million out of his department's budget. "We're talking 10 positions ... to say we can take out 10 positions within our department and not have that affect the citizens of Eureka is naive."

* East St. Louis, Illinois: City leaders announced last night that layoff notices will go out to 37 city employees, including 19 police officers and 11 firefighters, among others. They claimed that efforts will be made to save those jobs before the layoffs take effect on Aug. 1.

* Palm Beach County, Florida: The fire chief has reduced a $17 million shortfall in his budget to $4 million, but closing that remaining gap could cost 40-50 jobs in a department that already has 65 vacant firefighter positions.