Gahanna police outline staffing, technology and training plans as Sergeant Michael Shipica is promoted

Sergeant Michael Shipica was sworn in and promoted during the City of Gahanna City Council meeting on April 7, marking a personnel milestone as police leaders outlined staffing, technology and training changes planned for 2024–25.

Chief Spence and Director Becker told council they are continuing hires and internal moves to fill patrol and support positions, plan a major equipment upgrade and prepare for an anticipated move into a new policing facility in August 2025. Director Becker said, “We’re very grateful for the support, and we’re doing all we can to be great stewards of those taxpayer dollars.”

The department described current and planned staffing. Chief Spence reported two recently sworn sergeants were backfilled, two communications technician positions remain in active recruitment (one conditional offer issued), a management analyst vacancy will be filled in the next two weeks, and two evidence technicians were funded in the 2025 budget. He said six police officer backfills remain pending, including an academy start April 30 and a lateral expected in May. Chief Spence said a deputy chief position from the 2025 request will begin its hiring process in summer and that a training coordinator posting is live.

On equipment, Spence listed specific budgeted items: $795,000 for radio upgrades, $150,000 for a 9-1-1 equipment life-cycle upgrade and $420,000 in vehicle replacements (vehicle purchases plus upfit computers and safety equipment). The department added an Intoxilyzer DMT for breath testing late in 2024; Spence said that deployment has produced 44 tests so far in 2025 and some rollout setbacks tied to Ohio Department of Health standards.

Leaders highlighted a 21-unit public safety camera program (referred to in the meeting as “flock cameras”). Chief Spence said the camera network cost $92,100 to install and was generating about $65,000 in annual operating fees. He credited the system with investigative leads in recent cases, including a multi-scene vehicle break‑in and a hit-and-run bridge strike on Hamilton Road. During Q&A, Chief Spence confirmed, “All 21 are deployed.” He explained the vendor’s annual fees include service and immediate replacement if a camera goes down.

The department also reviewed traffic and enforcement trends. Spence said traffic crashes were up 22% year-to-date compared with the same period in 2024 (161 vs. 131), with injury crashes increasing modestly and no fatal or serious-injury crashes for January–March 2025. He reported a 2% increase in average daily traffic across the city and an increase in crashes tied to commercial vehicles. Traffic stops were up 22% over last year, and e‑ticketing reached 85% of citations issued electronically in 2025 versus 71% in 2024.

On community-response staffing, the department described a contracted mental‑health liaison position that was added earlier in 2025. In response to Councilman Jones, the chief said the liaison has helped “streamlin[e] the process” for chronic situations such as homelessness or hoarding by managing referrals and follow-ups and coordinating with Mifflin Township and a community paramedic, Beth Deconnick. The chief said it is “a little bit too early to tell” the program’s overall impact and that the department will track referral and service metrics.

Council members asked about fleet life cycles and future needs. Spence said the marked fleet includes 22 patrol vehicles plus unmarked/detective and support vehicles and that vehicles typically move toward replacement north of 100,000 miles; the department targets a 4–5 year replacement window but noted production and parts supply disruptions have complicated fleet planning.

On data systems and training, Spence described a planned September 2025 go-live for a shared CAD/RMS consortium (Gahanna as host, with Whitehall, Bexley, Reynoldsburg and Grandview Heights). He said the system’s cost and untapped analytic capabilities could support faster trend analysis and noted interest in using some AI-driven analytics only for distilling and operationalizing already-ingested data, while acknowledging privacy and bias concerns raised by council. Spence also emphasized expanded training needs tied to state-mandated dynamic vehicle operations and other in-service blocks, and he described operational planning for an August 2025 facility move that will affect property/evidence handling and detention standards compliance.

Council thanked the department for the update. Council members pressed for factual follow-up on a recent Gahanna Heights shooting incident; the chief said the investigation is ongoing and that camera leads were helping identify suspects. Councilman Renner asked about a resident-discharge of a firearm during that incident; the chief said investigators share those concerns and will provide updates as the investigation proceeds.

The promotion ceremony for Sergeant Shipica preceded the presentation. In brief remarks, Sergeant Michael Shipica thanked colleagues and family and said he “looks forward to the work we’re gonna do.” The meeting then moved to the next agenda item.

Ending: The department report provided council with program-level budget and operational items to watch—staffing fills, equipment procurements and a major facility and records-system transition slated for 2025. Council and staff said they will return with metrics on the mental‑health liaison, additional budget-level requests (if needed), and updates on the CAD/RMS go-live and accreditation schedule.