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Centerville police outline budget needs as staffing, drones and body cameras expand
Summary
Centerville police presented budget changes at the April 10 council budget retreat, highlighting a request to preserve staffing levels while covering ongoing costs for drone maintenance, vehicle rotation, body and dash cameras and officer wellness programs.
Centerville Police Chief told the City Council at its April 10 budget retreat that the department is proposing modest line-item changes while pressing for long-term staffing support, particularly another patrol position.
The department said it has 20 sworn officers and three support staff and described current operations, specialty units and training. Chief and Lieutenant Barnes highlighted equipment and program changes: a new drone-maintenance line estimated at about $5,000 annually for three drones and three pilots; reduced vehicle-maintenance costs because of a healthy vehicle rotation; an increase in radar-recertification costs that recur every few years; and an estimated $100,000–$130,000 package to replace body and dash cameras over five years under a Motorola/WatchGuard offering.
Why this matters: Police said overtime — budgeted at about $88,000 — covers both staffing shortfalls and voluntary patrol shifts (summer/night patrols) that are cheaper than hiring a new officer once…
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