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Council debates 24-hour police patrols; data show roughly six overnight calls per month, council flags budget and staffing concerns
Summary
Preston council members discussed citizen requests for 24-hour rolling police coverage and reviewed historical call data showing about 72 calls from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. across multiple years (roughly six per month). Members said the issue is primarily a budget and staffing question and deferred final action to the budget meetings in May.
Council members debated whether Preston should move from on-call overnight coverage to 24-hour rolling patrols, citing resident interest and the well-being of officers.
Councilman Chris Larson said he requested data covering calls between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. across the available record and reported 1,157 calls in the range shown (which converts to about 72.3 calls per year or roughly six calls per month during those hours). Larson said most of those calls appear to be medical in nature and that the council lacked a full breakdown of call types during the meeting.
Council members emphasized the distinction between 24/7 on-call coverage (where officers are on call from home) and rolling coverage with officers on patrol. Several councilors, including Todd Thomas and Terry Larson, said they were sympathetic to residents’ desire for visible coverage but that rolling coverage would likely require additional budget money for staffing, overtime, shift differentials and could affect officers’ mental health and retention.
Councilman Brent Dodge said he had collected resident input and cautioned the council not to thin staffing in ways that could increase burnout. Mayor and others said the issue would be discussed again during the scheduled budget meetings in May; the police chief was described as open to the idea but concerned about capacity.
No formal motion to change patrol policy or funding was taken; council members agreed to carry the item into the budget process and to have the police chief present staffing options at that time.
