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Cheektowaga Police detail manpower shortage, heavy reliance on grants and overtime
Summary
Police chief told the board the department is short roughly 10 officers, relies on multiple grants and reimbursed special-detail overtime, and faces persistent hiring challenges for dispatchers and detention staff.
The town's police chief told the board that the department is operating at reduced strength and is relying on a mix of grants, reimbursed special details and overtime to maintain coverage. Chief (transcript: "Brian *****") said the department has heavy arrest activity and is one of the county's busiest agencies by arrests and calls for service, but is roughly 10 officers short in headcount.
He outlined the department's grant income streams, including COPS hiring grants, tactical/Homeland Security grants, a companion-animal grant for the kennel, motor-vehicle and traffic-safety grants, and revenue from the use of the department's outdoor training range by outside agencies that generated about $147,000 in income this year. "We currently have 11 grants," the chief said, noting grants help buy equipment, training and overtime but do not eliminate base staffing needs.
Dispatch and detention staffing: The chief described severe difficulty in recruiting dispatchers and part-time detention staff. He said the department is trying new recruiting strategies and will be affected by incoming statewide standards for dispatcher hiring and training, and warned new standards may increase the hiring challenge in the short term.
Overtime and reimbursement: The chief explained most overtime spikes were either grant-funded or reimbursed (for example from mall and school agreements). He provided a breakdown indicating much of the department's overtime is reimbursed by outside entities but that patrol and dispatch overtime still represent substantial operating pressure because of vacancies.
Why it matters: Police staffing affects public safety, response times and costs. The chief emphasized the department invests in training and in grant-seeking, and that he had budgeted conservatively where possible. He also proposed a headquarters sergeant position to supervise cell block/court/dispatch operations but said manpower shortages prevented filling a requested new sergeant post in 2025.
Questions and context: Board members pressed for detail and talked about broad 1% cuts the board asked all administrative units to consider. The chief said he could identify about $1,000,000 in potential cuts but warned that cutting police budgets risks public safety and that many expenditures are contractual or reimbursed. The town comptroller and other board members cautioned against across-the-board 1% reductions in public-safety budgets without targeted analysis.
Ending: The chief said the department would continue pursuing grants, training and recruitment efforts and asked the board to consider the operational limits posed by reduced headcount when evaluating any across-the-board reductions.
