The Los Angeles Police Department has lost over 10 percent of its personnel in the last 5 years and has decided that it can no longer afford the concept of team policing. Instead, manpower is deployed where most needed according to a uniform deployment formula. Some police agencies now provide immediate responses only to requests involving serious crimes in progress or where an immediate threat of death or serious injury exists. Other agencies have eliminated traffic accident investigations which involve property damage only. Many departments have detective supervisors classify their cases to focus their immediate efforts on the more serious, solvable cases. Having only one detective file cases with the prosecuting agency and placing officers on call with the court also save time. Increased use of nonlethal weapons, handheld radios, and automated communication and information processing also help improve effectiveness in a period of declining resources. Two footnotes are provided.