Ithaca police outline staffing gains, ask board for four additional positions and program funding
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Summary
Ithaca police reported recent promotions and recruits, said two officers will graduate in October, and requested four additional unfunded positions plus continued funding for a community violence interrupter program and in-car cameras; the board and chief agreed to circulate materials and continue the discussion at a future meeting.
Chief (Ithaca Police Department) reported promotions, recruits and ongoing hiring at a meeting of the board. He said the department has promoted sergeants Nicholas Lopez and Robert Dupe, brought back officers Bechtel and Bode, and recognized officers including Amanda Van Hauen and Officer McCarthy. He said two candidates are slated to graduate from the Syracuse Police Academy in October and the department is working to fill six vacant slots.
The chief told the board the department held a candidate test on Sept. 20 with about 70 sign-ups and that historically roughly half of signed candidates fail to complete the physical-agility portions. “We’re very, very busy with backgrounds,” he said.
The immediate ask to the board was a request for four additional unfunded positions to be included in next year’s budget planning. “I’m asking for a lieutenant to coordinate community outreach. I’m asking for additional funding for our violence interrupter,” the chief said, adding the violence-interrupter role is currently funded through a Give grant with Second Wind Cottages and the grant is insufficient to cover the full year. He also asked the board to consider funding for vehicle-mounted (“in-car”) video cameras in addition to the department’s body-worn cameras.
Board members pressed for data and follow-up materials. The chief said the department will circulate a year-end annual report and that an internal dashboard shows staffing, vacancies and how many officers are working on average at any given time. He also said he will try to bring the department’s new crime analyst, Shai, to present statistics and the dashboard at a future meeting.
The discussion included a staffing forecast: the chief said he believes the department currently has nine vacancies, expects six recruits in the academy and noted possible interest from lateral applicants. He also said one officer has announced retirement effective October 2024. The chief described staggered gains and losses in staffing as “two steps forward, one step back,” reflecting retirements and leaves.
No formal funding motion or vote was recorded in the transcript. The board and chief agreed to schedule further presentations and to recirculate the dashboard, the year-end report and prior Q&A materials so board members can review hiring and budget details ahead of any formal budget decisions.
The meeting included routine recognitions and promotional ceremony notices; the chief said Chief Anthony Bellamy of the Cornell Police Department will start as a deputy chief on Oct. 2.
Ending: The board asked staff to provide the requested materials and to return with the crime analyst for a detailed statistics briefing at a later meeting; any budget or staffing decisions remain pending and subject to formal board or council action.
