Consultants tell Lincoln council city will need more officers, equipment as population grows

Mark Fetzer, a police consultant with AP Triton, presented a staffing and organizational assessment to the City of Lincoln City Council on Oct. 14, saying the report is a “snapshot in time” but shows the department will need additional sworn personnel and capital resources to keep pace with population and service demands. The presentation was received by the council; no formal action was taken.

The report said Lincoln serves about 52,000 residents across roughly 20 square miles and that the police department handles about 10,000 community‑generated calls for service annually. “Our approach is first and foremost to understand where the agency is currently at, how effectively resources are being utilized, and then also how to adapt for future growth,” Fetzer told the council. He described the work as a combined qualitative and quantitative review that used CAD dispatch data, staffing logs and a five‑year calls‑for‑service dataset (2019–2023).

Why it matters: the consultants concluded the department is below some commonly used staffing benchmarks and will need additional patrol officers, investigative capacity and capital investment if the community grows as expected. Using a commonly cited metric of 0.85 officers per 1,000 residents, Fetzer said Lincoln would be “about 50% behind” that target. AP Triton instead modeled demand using call volumes, administrative time and a target of about 40% unallocated (proactive) time for patrol officers; under that approach the report estimated a patrol hiring need that would bring the patrol ranks to roughly 32–39 officers over the next eight years, depending on growth scenarios.

Key findings and details: the department currently has about 30 sworn officers, including three command officers, five sergeants, four corporals, two detectives, two school resource officers, two specialized team members and 11 patrol officers, plus non‑sworn professional staff. The consultant noted the department operates from a single donated and repurposed facility that will constrain growth and called for long‑term facility planning. Fleet condition was highlighted as a safety and budget vulnerability: of 25 frontline patrol vehicles, 12 were recommended for replacement at the time of the study, and three non‑patrol vehicles were flagged for replacement.

The assessment identified operational data gaps and several data‑tracking recommendations: add a call‑source indicator in dispatch to distinguish self‑initiated vs. community‑generated events; review and track burglary‑alarm responses (which made up roughly 10% of community‑generated calls in the dataset); implement unit time tracking via radio logs to measure multi‑officer responses; and standardize tracking of casino‑related calls. Fetzer said some units (for example, the specialized response team) had limited historical data because the units were recently formed.

Community survey results: AP Triton also reported results from a community survey (182 responses). The report found 76% of respondents expressed trust in the police department, while roughly 46% agreed the department is held accountable for its actions. Visibility and proactive engagement were identified as areas for improvement; only about 20% of respondents said the department engaged in community policing “a lot.” Fetzer told the council the survey is intended to capture perceptions and is not used directly in the staffing math, but it can inform outreach and communication recommendations.

Recommendations: Fetzer presented short‑, mid‑ and long‑term recommendations. Short‑term (1–2 years) items included establishing mutual aid agreements, developing a training plan and audit schedule for property/evidence, creating a lead dispatcher position to balance workload, and assessing the fungibility of Community Facilities District (CFD) development fees. Mid‑term (3–5 years) recommendations included establishing performance metrics and job‑level KPIs and revisiting unit analyses for traffic, SRO and SRT units. Long‑term recommendations included facility planning, phasing sworn staffing increases to match projected growth, and evaluating regional dispatch options.

Funding context and next steps: Fetzer noted an upcoming fiscal risk tied to the expiration of a public safety tax share and ARPA funds by 2026, which could create a shortfall if new revenue streams are not identified. Council members asked several follow‑ups about alarm breakdowns by beat, whether the staffing numbers account only for patrol duties or broader services, and the potential for regional dispatch. City staff said CFD funding is intended to bridge minimum service needs and that the city is studying funding options and priorities. No formal motion or vote was recorded; the council received the consultant’s report and opened the item for public comment following the presentation.

A few council members and members of the public who spoke during general comment referenced the presentation and survey results, urging the council to continue outreach and to consider funding options that reflect community priorities.