Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2006 | My partner attended the Citizen’s Patrol Meeting Monday night at the Gay and Lesbian Center. The fact is that if San Diego had not lost close to 250 police officers due to the ongoing budget crisis in San Diego, especially the loss of so called “Beat Cops,” then we citizens would not have to figure out how to protect District 3. We are losing our city because the mayor and councilmember Atkins and the rest of the council cannot or will not address the police deficit. Crime in District 3 is not a gay/straight issue, it’s a citywide issue. If we continue to ignore the police deficit problem, then we can count on every district in the city going through what we in District 3 are going through now. We need action from our elected leaders. Citizens have very little power when we create patrols. If you don’t believe me, next time you can find one of our brave police officers, just ask him/her what you can legally do if you see a crime being committed.