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Police chief reports steady call volume and short staffing; council hears request to plan for more officers
Summary
Police Chief Joe Black presented 2024 call and staffing statistics, including 2,439 calls for service and a current patrol staff of 10 officers plus K‑9s; council discussion stressed recruiting and a potential need for more long‑term staff and facility space.
Police Chief Joe Black briefed the council on Jan. 21 on 2024 public‑safety activity and department staffing, emphasizing steady call volume, record‑keeping changes and persistent staffing needs.
“Right now we have one chief, two veterans, and 10 officers, two of which are canine and one school resource officer,” Chief Joe Black said. He reported 2,439 calls for service in 2024: 162 felony reports, 844 misdemeanors and 782 overall reports. The department recorded 331 physical arrests and 55 DUI arrests. The department also reported an upward trend in thefts and a notable number of arson investigations that produced several arrests, including multi‑county cases.
Black described ongoing infrastructure and training upgrades: an evidence storage relocation to free office space; near‑completion of a multi‑agency digital radio project; and 380 training deployments and more than 300 training hours for mutual aid deployments in 2024. He noted the state’s transition in crime reporting methodology (from UCR to NIBRS) has affected year‑to‑year comparisons.
Councilmembers focused on staffing and facilities. Black said recruiting and training take time—roughly 18 months for an entry recruit and about six months for a lateral hire—and that the department would benefit from additional positions, including a detective and supervisory ranks, as the city grows. The council asked staff to consider short‑term facility and staffing steps, and to include police needs in broader facility planning discussed later in the meeting.
Ending: The council heard a data‑driven account of 2024 activity and acknowledged a continuing gap between current staffing and desired patrol capacity; staff will integrate staffing and space needs into follow‑up public‑safety facility planning and future budget discussions.
