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Board hears police report showing rise in calls, outlines large hiring class and training
Summary
At the March 18 Board of Public Safety meeting, a police department representative reported a year-to-date rise in calls for service, summaries of training and community outreach, concerns about possible state and federal funding changes, and an active hiring pipeline expected to produce the department's largest recent class.
A police department representative told the Board of Public Safety on March 18 that Bloomington police had seen a modest increase in calls for service in early 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, and outlined training, community-engagement work and a large hiring pipeline aimed at filling vacancies.
The report, delivered during the board's regular March meeting, said the department had recorded about 13,000 calls for service through February and that year-to-date traffic stops were down. The representative said weather in January and February likely contributed to fewer traffic stops. "There's our calls for service for the month. We've had, again as we've typically seen, a little increase, from the same period in 2024, in 2025, with us having, 13,000 calls for service through through February," the police department representative said.
The nut of the update was staffing: the department reported 16 current vacancies and said 11 candidates were in the final hiring steps, with medical and psychological checks pending. "I actually got a couple back today that just went last week. Sometimes it's up to 2 weeks," the personnel presenter, Ryan, said, describing the timeline for medical paperwork. The presenter said one recruit is scheduled to graduate April 25 and that the department expects to make offers to successful candidates within three to four weeks as paperwork clears. "That would be the largest hiring class that I'm aware of us having," the police department representative said.
The department also summarized crime and incident trends. It reported 53 incidents so far in 2025 where a weapon was reportedly involved and 36 incidents involving a firearm. Adult arrests were down year-over-year, while juvenile referrals rose slightly because of school-related calls. "Crimes involving weapons, year to date, so far there have been 53 incidents where a weapon was reportedly involved. A firearm has been reported in 36 incidents," the police department representative said.
Training and community engagement were highlighted: the department logged 759 training hours in the month, including a three-day in-service for 15 officers, multi-day crisis intervention team (CIT) training for three officers, and drone training for six officers. The department reported 12 community events totaling 14 hours with 20 officers participating, outreach with the Monroe County Humane Society, presence at local elementary school carnivals and a safety meeting with the Bloomington Board of Realtors. Social workers received 72 referrals and made 346 contacts; among outcomes, staff assisted with protective-order filings, connections to assisted-living facilities and helped arrange cremation and burial assistance in one case.
Board members asked about potential impacts from federal and state budget changes. Board member Barb asked whether federal funding or federal grant changes were already affecting the department. "Not to my knowledge, we've not been affected at all," the police department representative replied. The personnel presenter added the department and partner mental-health providers are monitoring possible changes to Medicaid and state-level bills that could shift case loads or funding, but emphasized uncertainty until details are finalized. "So it is definitely stuff we're looking at, but we don't know what we don't know until it happens," the police department representative said.
The report also described two ARV deployments in the previous month supporting operations on Liberty Drive and a South Side armed-robbery investigation; the department said those deployments helped remove a barricaded subject and protect officers and residents. The department noted procurement activity ahead, including vehicle purchases using a state bid and upcoming software contracts related to officer search functions.
The board approved the consent agenda earlier in the meeting; the police report was presented as part of general business and there were no formal votes tied to the police report itself.
Ending: The board directed no immediate formal action; staff will continue hiring and monitoring potential funding changes and will return with updates as needed.
