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Narrator: The small town of Alto, Texas, has a population of only twelve hundred
people.
Charles Berrin is the police chief1. He is also a rancher. He can spend a lot
of time taking care of his ranch because he lost his job as police chief
when the town cut the budget2 for the police force to zero.
The police cars are locked up. The police station is closed, except for
when Chief Berrin comes to his office to answer the mail.
Before, it took three minutes for the Alto police to answer a call for help.
Now, it takes up to 15 minutes for a Texas state police officer3 to come.
1
police chief: the leader of the police force in a town or city
2
budget: a plan of how to spend money
3
police officer: a person who works in the police force