Alexandria police outline 1% budget efficiencies, staffing gaps and vehicle plans

Police Chief Matt briefed the Alexandria City Council on budgetary savings he and staff identified as part of the citywide request to reduce operating costs by roughly 1% and gave an update on staffing and vehicle needs.

Chief Matt said the department’s annual budget is about $75 million and that staff had identified three areas for savings: administrative and support costs (telecommunications, mobile data devices, copier leases, office supplies, and some professional services), vacancy savings for two residential officer positions, and fleet reductions in the criminal investigations unit (including reducing rental cars used for covert operations). He told council the identified adjustments “will be no degradation in service” and are possible because the department has historically overbudgeted some line items.

The chief reported the department is authorized for 322 sworn officers and about 114 support employees. He said there are roughly 22 sworn vacancies; non‑sworn professional staff vacancies number about 34; and approximately 18 part‑time vacancies exist for security guards and parking enforcement. He also noted the department contracts for school crossing guards to cover some shortfalls.

Council members pressed the chief on the department’s take‑home vehicle program and fleet condition. The chief said the department is evaluating the take‑home program (currently available to officers who live in the city and limited by a 50‑mile policy) and preparing a five‑year vehicle replacement plan; he estimated the department purchases roughly 30 cars a year but has faced supply issues since the pandemic. He also described “sunset” vehicles—older units retained temporarily to maintain patrol visibility—and said the city’s general maintenance shop does much of the fleet maintenance but manufacturer repairs sometimes require vendor work and downtime.

Vice Mayor Bagley and others questioned the effect of contracted parking enforcement on street safety and school crossings. City staff and the chief said the parking enforcement pilot was intended not just to issue citations but to change parking behavior and daylight intersections, and that staff are preparing midpoint contract evaluation data (planned for the fall). The city uses two separate contracts: one firm supplies crossing guards and a separate firm provides parking enforcement officers. Staff reported the PEO pilot is roughly a year in and that the contract was designed as a 1.5–2 year pilot with an expected midpoint review to measure crash reduction and behavioral change.

Councilmembers also asked about incentives for residential officers assigned to high‑need neighborhoods. The chief said the department offers a roughly $10,000 incentive for that assignment and has advertised the vacancy repeatedly but noted some neighborhoods remain difficult to staff. Councilmembers pressed for alternatives to preserve those neighborhood posts if vacancies recur.

The chief said the department is exploring a public safety plan that would include technology investments such as a real‑time crime center; he told council staff expect to present a technology memo in late summer or early fall.

Why it matters: Police operations and fleet decisions drive ongoing costs, affect patrol visibility and response, and intersect with education and traffic safety efforts (crossing guards and parking enforcement). Council members requested more precise inventories and timelines: a full count of current take‑home vehicles versus authorized recipients and a five‑year fleet plan before fall budget decisions.

Council directions and next steps: Staff will compile and deliver the requested take‑home vehicle inventory (how many officers have take‑home vehicles today, how many are authorized, and the gap), produce the five‑year fleet replacement plan before the fall, and return midpoint evaluation data on the parking enforcement pilot at the contract’s scheduled midpoint.

Budget figures and clarifications from the meeting: the police budget cited was about $75,000,000; the manager asked for approximately 1% savings; the department reported 22 sworn vacancies, 34 non‑sworn professional staff vacancies, and about 18 part‑time vacancies. The city set aside roughly $10,000 to support about 10 community cookouts (mentioned elsewhere in the meeting) that the department and partner agencies use for outreach.