Police, fire report: staffing changes, Citizens Police Academy planned and station 2 nearing completion

Police and fire leaders updated council on staffing, training and facilities.

Police highlights: Staff reported two officers completed field training and will be assigned to shifts immediately; one officer, John Roland, recently hired from a county correction facility, started the police academy and is expected to be in training for approximately five months. Two officers recently retired (Robert Salazar and David Jones), leaving several openings; Officer Corey Braggs was promoted to sergeant. The police department announced a first Citizens Police Academy beginning in February, a seven‑week program of three hours per session to familiarize residents with department operations; the department will accept roughly 20 participants and use mutual‑aid resources (K‑9, bomb squad, SWAT demonstrations) from neighboring agencies.

Fire highlights and facilities: The fire chief reported two openings and upcoming applicant testing; the Fire Station 2 project is essentially complete from a comfort systems standpoint but staff is awaiting final propane‑system vendor work and other finishing items. The chief said one generator/propane component required vendor inspection before final acceptance; staff expect to close remaining items shortly.

Other public safety notes: The departments discussed call volumes and noted the town responded to mutual‑aid incidents outside the town limits (some structure fires in neighboring jurisdictions are recorded in the department’s annual counts). Council and staff discussed an annual departmental awards banquet and upcoming promotional ceremonies.

What council asked for: Council requested follow‑up on academy registration and outreach; staff said program information is posted on the town website and being promoted through social channels. Council members also asked for continued updates on recruitment and station‑project completion.