The Public Safety Committee heard updates from police leadership on vehicle procurement, citation statistics and electronic citation options.

Police staff reported that the city placed a quote-based order for 30 new police vehicles through a state contract provider. The vendor quoted $1,363,227.90 for the 30 automobiles and was authorized to order the vehicles on Oct. 3. Police staff said manufacturing and delivery generally take between 180 and 360 days but that some vehicles occasionally arrive sooner if another agency’s orders change.

On enforcement data, Chief Smith reported that SPD issued 6,176 citations in the last three months across 131 categories. Examples cited included 46 DWI (driving while intoxicated) level-one charges, 11 DWI level-two charges, and 406 seat-belt violations; the department also issued 48 window-tinting citations in the last three months. SPD staff said citation and field-interview records are increasingly electronic, although some paper cards are still converted by records staff.

Council members asked for more granular counts by police district and said they would like to see stop and citation data tied to council districts; police agreed to provide district- and council-district–level reports drawn from court and records data.

Committee members also discussed e-ticketing. Chief Smith said e-tickets can speed on-scene processing and improve officer safety by reducing the time officers look away from the subject or vehicle. He noted cost implications — provision of additional devices and portable printers for officers — and cited concerns about thermal-paper receipts fading over time. The department said it is open to pursuing eticket options but that implementing them citywide would require funding for devices, printers and supplies.

Ending: The committee asked staff to provide district-level citation breakdowns and directed police to research e-ticket costs and an implementation plan for future council consideration.