The deployment of the 39th Brigade to Iraq has become a burden for hundreds of employers across the state--but it's hitting one small town police department especially hard. Amity, Arkansas is a town of less than 800, with a police force of only two officers. But one of them is less than a month away from a deployment to Iraq.

(Chief Stephen Huston, Amity Police Department) "I'm able to get one part-time person from the Clark County Sheriff's Office to come in and assist, take a little of the load off of me. Basically I just cover it up myself the rest of the time."

Chief Stephen Huston will be on call 24/7 until 2009. The problem is, under federal law, he can't replace the officer--and it's hard to find a part-time policeman.

(Huston) "It's kind of a catch-22 because we do have to hold the position open for the man that goes to Iraq. And to hire somebody off the street, if they've never been a certified police officer, we spend 12 weeks at the academy and then at the end of the year, you're going to have to turn them loose anyway."

This is the second time the Amity Police Department has been cut in half by a tour to Iraq. Chief Huston survived the first deployment, and so far it has not hindered the public's safety. But it has been a tremendous strain for the department--and Amity's not alone.

(Huston)"Any cities that have five or less officers are going to be impacted very, very badly from this."

The Little Rock Fire Department has lost six people to military leave, and the police department is down about 20. However, Little Rock is large enough to absorb the loss.