Bel Air Police ask for one officer, extra dispatcher and $226,000 in surveillance equipment in FY2026 budget

Bel Air Police Chief Chuck Boor told the Board of Town Commissioners during the April 15 budget work session that the department is requesting one additional sworn officer for FY2026, conversion of a vacant part‑time dispatcher slot into a full‑time dispatcher, and several equipment purchases tied to crime‑fighting and officer safety.

The chief said the department’s sworn salary line is budgeted at $2,957,000 for FY2026 and includes the single new officer. Boor described operational pressures driving the staffing request: local retail theft “syndicates,” heavy overtime driven by unfilled positions and major incidents, and the need for reliable radio‑room coverage during peak periods and large emergencies. He said a full‑time dispatcher will reduce reliance on overtime and strengthen coverage for the 47 cameras the department already monitors.

Boor also described equipment and annual operating requests that rose in the FY2026 draft: a five‑year contract for body‑worn cameras and evidence hosting (Axon) with a quoted annual installment of $39,885, annual LVT (Live View Technologies) lease payments of roughly $35,000, ammunition and firearms training costs, and a TASER training suit and scenario training requirement that added roughly $5,580 to that line. The department also requested an automated speed sign program ($10,000 for two signs) and budgeted for an additional marked patrol vehicle plus attendant accessory packages and up‑fit costs.

Most prominently, Boor outlined a proposal to purchase an AI‑enabled fixed‑camera surveillance system (referred to in the meeting by the vendor name Verkada). The request in the draft budget was about $226,000, which Boor said would fund roughly 10 cameras with analytics, license‑plate reading and cloud hosting. He said such cameras act as a force multiplier, helping detectives solve hit‑and‑run and retail theft cases and reducing the need for continuous human monitoring. He noted the town already pilots some systems (LVT and other cameras) and is pursuing grants to offset some purchase costs.

Town staff and commissioners asked about data security, vendor update and upgrade policies, ongoing operating and cloud costs, and inter‑agency integration. Staff said they will provide more detailed answers about vendor security, who may access footage, and maintenance/capital replacement or software upgrade costs before the commission makes final budget decisions.

Chief Boor emphasized the policing tradeoffs that drive many of the requests: officer overtime, undercover retail‑theft details, and the cost of keeping an aging vehicle fleet operational. He said the department has seen increasing retail theft and violent‑crime incidents since 2021 and that the new equipment and one additional sworn officer would help stabilize patrol coverage and investigative capacity.

The budget work session did not include a final vote on any police budget lines; commissioners asked staff for follow‑up details on vendor security and recurring operating costs for any camera purchase before making decisions.

Ending: Commissioners asked staff to return with a written summary of recurring costs, vendor security and upgrade policies and a projected timeline for any camera installations before the FY2026 tentative budget is finalized. Chief Boor said the department will continue to pursue grant funding to reduce the town’s share of capital purchases.