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Winooski Police present FY26 budget, cite time-intensive mental-health and narcotics work; regional dispatch uncertainty remains
Summary
Chief Justin Eising presented the police department’s FY26 budget and said officers are spending more time on fewer calls, particularly mental-health and welfare checks. The department reported recent narcotics seizures and asked council to weigh regional dispatch options while staffing and recruitment remain priorities.
Chief Justin Eising presented the Winooski Police Department’s proposed FY26 budget and an overview of operations to the city council, focusing on staffing, call types and emerging issues.
Lede/nut graf: The chief said overall call volume has fallen in recent years but that officers now spend substantially more time on individual incidents — especially mental-health crises and welfare checks — which reduces capacity for proactive patrols. He also described narcotics seizures, a rise in motor-vehicle thefts and an ongoing staffing vacancy.
Eising said the department is organizing resources around the 21st Century Policing framework and that some of the decline in raw call counts reflects…
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