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Residents press council on police staffing; mayor, council cite grants and staffing options
Summary
A resident urged the council for more police officers as the city grows; the mayor and council discussed a federal grant application for five officers and the possibility of 12-hour shift scheduling to increase patrol coverage.
A resident told the La Porte Common Council on Sept. 15 that the city lacks sufficient road patrol officers and urged elected officials to add officers to cover growth and annexations. The citizen said only three road officers were on duty at the time and that domestic calls often require two officers, leaving the city thinly covered.
The council and mayor responded that the police and fire budgets have increased in recent years and that the administration is pursuing options to increase patrol presence. Mayor Thomas P. Dermody said he worked with Police Chief Dragmeister on a federal grant proposal that would fund five additional officers if awarded; Courtney Partheun, the clerk-treasurer, and council members noted the city may have to provide a local match. Dermody also said the city expects a decision on a COPS grant in September but that any grant could require up to a 30% local match to cover equipment and vehicles.
Council members pointed to alternative staffing and scheduling approaches to increase field coverage. The mayor said the police department has the option of implementing 12-hour shifts, which would place more officers on the street at peak times, but noted that personnel and scheduling choices are departmental decisions that require further study. The mayor also said human-resources staff are evaluating efficiencies across departments to identify where staff time is spent and to prioritize frontline services.
No formal hiring motion or budget action was taken Sept. 15; the discussion focused on grant applications, potential scheduling changes and long-term staffing considerations.
