Signs of the problem crop up in many places. A smaller portion of families in New York City shelters got mental health assessments in the first four months of this fiscal year compared to last year. The chief medical examiner’s office performed fewer autopsies. The time it took the Fire Department to inspect fire alarms rose 28%. The named culprit in each situation, according to a preliminary report on citywide agency performance: staffing shortages.

And amid a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease this summer, Gothamist found that inspections of building cooling towers – where the disease-causing bacteria can grow – have been on the decline, and the number of inspectors is down over the past three years. The city health department has said it would be “wrong” to attribute the curr

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