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Biloxi council reviews police staffing shortfalls, vehicle and recruitment costs in FY25–26 budget talks
Summary
At a Biloxi City Council budget workshop on the FY25–26 municipal budget, police leaders outlined recruitment goals, current staffing gaps, vehicle needs and overtime pressures and council members discussed adding non‑sworn positions and equipment purchases to reduce overtime and improve patrol coverage.
At a Biloxi City Council budget workshop to review the proposed fiscal year 2025–26 municipal budget, Police Chief Miller and council members focused on police staffing, vehicle replacement and recruitment strategies, saying the department remains below authorized strength and faces rising equipment and training costs.
Police Chief Miller said the department is prioritizing recruitment next year. “Our objectives in 2026, certainly a major push for recruitment,” Chief Miller said, adding that the city expects seven newly hired officers to start in the next three weeks but that academy and field training will delay their full deployment.
The chief and council members repeatedly cited a current sworn-strength figure of about 130 officers and an authorized complement of roughly 147 officers. Chief Miller described a longer-term staffing target of 170 officers, and a personal…
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