Time’s up! Without more city police, the criminals win.

Did you hear the one about the Aug. 5 shooting — the one involving two people who are so young, their identities cannot legally be released by law enforcement — that resulted in bullets penetrating Goldsboro Fire Station Engine 5?

Did you hear that one of the juveniles, if he or she can be identified, would be charged with attempting to kill or inflict serious injury on the other and firing the shots from the Eastern Wayne Middle School campus?

Read that again.

And after you do, ask yourself if you knew — if it has really sunk in — that the Goldsboro Police Department is currently spread so thin because of a lack of officers that this crime might never be solved?

We have told you before that local lawmen are worried.

We let Goldsboro’s police chief tell you he is concerned about the jarring number of shots fired in the city each day.

We talked about recent gun-related homicides — the one at the Spring Break pool party that left a 15-year-old girl dead; the one that unfolded inside a Wayne Memorial Drive business in broad daylight that claimed the life of a Family Dollar employee.

But it was this quote from GPD Chief Mike West that drew the strongest reactions from you, our readers.

“I can’t paint the picture for (the public) of what truly goes on because I run the risk of panicking the community,” he said. “There’s absolutely no respect on the streets anymore. The hatred is unbelievable. There is absolutely no respect out here whatsoever. There is no respect for human life.”

So, we met with West again not long ago.

He told us that, perhaps, it was time to set the record straight.

He emphasized, again, that he is fortunate to lead some of the finest officers in the state — but that their efforts are not nearly enough. It is a numbers game, he said, and the criminals know very well how to play their hand.

How, he asked, can they prevent and solve crimes when they are 33 officers down — when seemingly every officer is now simply working patrol?

How, when only five or six members of his team are on the beat at a given moment — and are asked to monitor an entire city — is that even feasible?

And why should anyone be surprised that the shootings and other crimes reaching a fever pitch in Goldsboro are happening in broad daylight by more brazen criminals than he could imagine?

They are smart enough, West said, to read news reports.

They know the odds of seeing a patrol car roll by are shrinking by the day.

They know the GPD’s gang prevention and selective housing units have been shuttered.

So, they roll the dice.

That’s why a group of teenagers drove into Lincoln homes July 31 and unloaded their guns — nearly killing a Goldsboro couple that was dropping off food at the home of a family member.

That’s why a young person was bold enough to fire shots on Central Heights Road last weekend — an incident that could have very well killed a Goldsboro firefighter.

And that is why it’s imperative that this community take a stand.

Now.

If you heard that your city’s police department was so understaffed that the loss of just one more officer would mean every “extra” unit and program would be slashed, you would shake your head in disbelief.

And if you also learned that same police force currently faces such a deficit that what should be a 15-member force per shift patrolling city streets is now five officers who have to prioritize 911 calls, you would wonder how it’s even possible for that team to keep its neighbors safe.

You might also wonder how such a strapped law enforcement agency could prevent crime — or investigate it — and if victims and their families would see timely justice.

And you might conclude, correctly, that if the city faces such a crisis, it is likely that word has gotten around to someone else about its vulnerabilities — criminals.

We all have seen how that turns out. The scenario plays out seemingly every night on the evening news.

We just never thought we would see it here.

Chief West wants his community to know that this is not just an exaggeration or strategy to get more money, more officers, and more control.

He wants Goldsboro residents to know that they aren’t imagining that there is more crime, fewer arrests and that more areas of the city are becoming nothing short of drug dens and shooting galleries.

He wants you to know it now, before it is too late.

Over the last few years, many people haven’t wanted to talk about the changes in the communities we live in.

They got the message that if you talk about the real stuff, the true concerns, you get canceled.

So, it is easier to sit back and to watch, wait, and worry.

And for a while, we could sit back.

The bad stuff, we thought, was happening somewhere else. And surely, someone will do something to make sure it doesn’t happen here.

Well, crime is here, as is rampant gun violence.

It is not a gun control discussion. That is not really what is going on here.

It’s a “criminals are not afraid” discussion.

They are willing to play the odds that there won’t be anyone there to answer that call, your family’s emergency call.

And the police know something, too.

They know that they often have less than a few seconds to make a decision that could mean the end of their career or the end of their life. And that, perhaps, backup might not be on the way.

They have to decide, quickly, when they come face to face with a crime in progress, or an emergency report, knowing hesitation in that moment could mean the loss of an innocent life or an officer not ever being able to see his or her family again.

It is a decision we can’t fathom — a heartstopper just to think about.

But they do it every day.

Now, imagine knowing that you are likely to face many calls like this in an evening, knowing that there are not enough officers on your shift to serve your city properly.

Figure you are tired and overworked.

Are you going to take the extra risk?•

It is time to face facts about police protection and crime in Goldsboro.

If this city wants to continue down the path to progress, it is time to step up and talk about what to do about safety, proper use of funds and priorities.

Development is coming our way. Raleigh is growing rapidly, and its neighborhoods are full.

If we want to attract the growth this community deserves, we have to start dealing with big ticket issues.

Ensuring we have enough law enforcement to protect us is Priority No. 1.

Crime is not a new problem. And this area is no worse than many.

But pretending that canceling the community’s gang unit — in a town a stone’s throw from a major interstate that is a known conduit for drugs and crime — is not a significant problem is absurd.

Ignoring the fact that there are many, many places where officers can go to work where there is adequate staffing and better pay — and that such a difference would not be a decision makerfor anyone who is seeking to provide for his or her family — is also a major mistake.

So, what’s the “answer?”

It starts with leadership.

We need leaders who are willing to call it like it is and figure out how to properly fund the GPD.

Choosing not to do so will be at our own peril, especially for anyone who owns a home or who runs a business here.

Remember that when you are deciding whether or not you are going to vote in the next municipal election — and ask those who are running what their plans are to address these issues.

See if they are ready to talk about crime, violence, and law enforcement.

See if they are ready to talk about the truth.

It is time to look closely at not just who our leaders say they are, but who they really are.

You can bet we will.

Our future depends on it, too.

We aren’t going to just sit around and waitto see whose life or livelihood is lost next.

And you shouldn’t either.