Milford police present largely status-quo budget; chief warns of recruitment gap, rising tech and vehicle costs
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Summary
Police Chief Jake Mello told the Board of Finance that most increases in the police budget are contractual or fixed costs, while staffing vacancies, rising overtime liability and upcoming body-camera and drone expenses will pressure future budgets.
Milford Police Chief Jake Mello told the Board of Finance that the police department’s proposed budget for the coming year is largely unchanged but includes several line-item increases for contractual obligations, equipment maintenance and overtime tied to staffing shortfalls.
The chief highlighted that most increases are contractual or fixed costs — including Motorola radio maintenance and multiple software-maintenance agreements — and said the department is carrying a personnel shortfall that is driving overtime costs higher.
“The increase is about 22.2% from the previous year,” Chief Mello said of the overtime projection, explaining the department can estimate overtime by looking at past openings and how much compensation time officers take. He said the department was at “full capacity” in July but has had nine openings since July 1; seven recruits are expected to graduate in July and then spend three months in field training, leaving the department short through the busy summer months.
Why it matters: Chief Mello and board members framed the budget as routine for fixed operational costs but stressed the personnel gap and looming one-time fees could make the police budget more expensive in the next cycle. The chief and board discussed how pay compression and multi-year step schedules affect retention and recruit decisions.
Key details from the presentation - Staffing and overtime: Chief Mello said the department had nine open positions as of July 1 and expects seven recruits to graduate in July; additional retirements and departures could produce another three to four openings between July and November. He attributed part of the turnover to retirements at roughly 20 years of service and to fewer post‑2020 candidates entering policing. - Overtime liability: The chief explained overtime budgeting must account both for pay and for officers taking compensation time off, which creates a deferred liability. - Technology and maintenance: Software and maintenance line items increased by roughly $57,000 year over year and total about $467,000, the chief said, reflecting dozens of contracts for records, CAD, jail management and other systems. - Body‑worn cameras and evidence storage: The chief said Mayor Blake used American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to prepay four years of Axon/evidence.com service years ago; that prepayment will end and the department expects a substantial recurring charge in the coming budget for body‑camera and dash‑camera storage. - Drones: The police drone account rose from approximately $40,000 to about $105,000 this budget cycle. Chief Mello said Milford has three drones: a small entry drone used for building entry and a more sophisticated drone with improved optics, thermal imaging and autonomous features. He noted the price increases reflect both hardware and integrated software tools (collision avoidance, mapping overlays and certain beyond‑visual‑line‑of‑sight capabilities that require FAA waivers). - Police cruisers: The budgeted $440,000 for cruisers pays for five cruisers and equipment. Chief Mello said he originally requested six, and with surplus funds from a different account the city expects to acquire a sixth cruiser this year by shifting one purchase into surplus funds. - Recruitment and pay: The chief said compensation is a significant factor in recruitment and retention, noting Milford’s top patrol officer grade of about $87,000 is “a little bit below average” for midcareer steps and that Milford currently takes about 10 years to reach top pay compared with four to five years elsewhere. He recommended compressing steps and revisiting wage adjustments once the current contract expires in July.
Board questions and responses included requests for clarification on overtime lines (board member Lauren), drone counts and capability (Scott), and whether ARPA had covered the body‑camera contract (Jeff). The chief responded that ARPA funds paid a prior multi‑year Axon bill and that the full recurring cost will return to the operating budget.
Ending: The board closed questions after roughly an hour of discussion and moved on to other departmental presentations. No formal vote on the police budget line items occurred at this session.
