Garbage Man As Police

According to this article, garbage men are being trained to act as a liaison to the police, to respond to things that are out of the ordinary.

Is this because of budget cuts and there are not enough police. Or is crime increasing and there needs to be more eyes and ears out there. Or is it something else.

CBS6: Albany's garbage collectors become new community watchers

All Waste Management drivers, helpers and repair technicians have been trained by former FBI agents on what to look out for and how to respond in the case of an emergency.