Residents of the Beechwood Neighborhood in the northeast section of the city say police emergency response time is getting worse for the east side. And, they say, so is crime.

"Mayor Bob Duffy says that public safety is his highest priority and he believes in results," Kyle Crandall said at a news conference today in front of Northeast Area Development office. "We support our police, but we don't think the results are good."

Response time data obtained from the Rochester Police Department for 2006 shows that the average response time for priority 1 calls --- 911 calls where the crime is underway --- was 14 minutes and 31 seconds. Priority 2 calls --- calls to police after the crime took place --- had an average response time of one hour and 14 minutes.

For 2007, average response time for priority 1 calls is taking 19 minutes and 14 seconds; average response time for priority 2 calls is one hour and 38 minutes, according to the police department.

Crandall said he is not sure the data is correct because priority 2 calls can turn into priority 1 calls if an incident escalates.

"Some residents are not calling at all because they know the police won't be able to respond quickly enough," he said.

Crandall said there are three reasons why he thinks the response time is taking longer: the consolidation of area substations into two stations, not enough officers, and problems with officer dispatch.

Crandall says he has been in talks with Mayor Duffy and Police Chief David Moore, but he says the problem continues to get worse.

What are police response times in your neighborhood like? Comment below.