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Staffing study recommends 12 more patrol officers and additional support positions for Cedar City Police over five years
Summary
An independent staffing study presented to the council recommends adding 12 patrol officers over five years plus a patrol captain, a second patrol lieutenant, two detectives, two civilian police services specialists and two full‑time records/evidence positions to keep response times and investigative capacity aligned with projected growth.
The Cedar City Police Department presented an independent five-year staffing study March 26 proposing a phased increase in sworn and civilian positions to keep pace with rising calls for service and to reduce current response times.
Dr. Eric Frisch (report and slides), a consultant in police staffing, told the council the department currently operates with roughly 25 patrol responders (21 officers plus four corporals) and that a validated workload model tied to local call activity projects a 7.7% annual growth in calls for service. To maintain and improve performance objectives — a five‑minute target for highest‑priority calls, an eight‑minute target for high-priority calls, immediate availability and street visibility — the study recommends adding 12 patrol officers over five years (bringing patrol headcount to about 37) and increasing command oversight by adding a patrol captain early in the plan and a second patrol lieutenant later.
The study also recommended one additional traffic officer, two detectives (to reduce detective workload and restore a supervisory detective role), conversion of part‑time records and evidence positions to full time, and two civilian police services specialists to take administrative and quartermaster tasks off sworn personnel. Frisch explained that shifting administrative tasks to civilian staff can free sworn personnel for policing work and that adding civilian positions early delivers operational leverage.
Councilmembers asked about comparative spending and how Cedar City’s response times and staffing compare to peers; Frisch said comparisons vary widely and his model is tailored to Cedar City’s workload and performance objectives rather than peer headcounts. City staff noted the recommendations will feed into future budget and compensation discussions; the study was presented for council information and no formal council vote was required.
Next steps: the report will inform department budgeting and a proposed multi-year hiring plan, and staff will return with cost estimates and timelines for any requested hires.
