Talk of the tight Little Rock budget comes amid a series of meetings about crime concerns.

A community meeting recently included questions about police staffing, room at the jail and other topics.

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I learned this much: The police department currently has 66 unfilled positions on a force of more than 500. And, in response to a question I got from a community member, it assigns 17 officers to the Clinton National Airport. They are paid, including benefits by the airport under contract.

City Manager Bruce Moore says, despite recent budget talk about using unfilled positions to offset a tax revenue decline, Police Chief Kenton Buckner has authority to fill every vacancy.

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Moore added: “We are working on changing the way we recruit and test that will take place in 2017. I think it is important to note that we are at a 2% increase in overall crime compared to last year that was a 35-year low. However, I know we must do more.”

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