Gurnee police budget adds apprentices, in‑house social worker and technology investments; department introduces comfort dog

Police leaders told trustees March 3 that the FY25‑26 budget includes staffing and technology changes aimed at recruitment, wellness and investigative efficiency.

Personnel and recruitment Deputy and police staff described a proposed police apprenticeship program that would add seven full‑time apprentices with a starting salary around $40,000 plus tuition assistance (estimated tuition ~$3,200 per semester at College of Lake County). The department estimated the apprenticeship program total cost for seven apprentices at under $500,000. Staff said the apprentices are intended to help replace expected FTE reductions tied to the county dispatch consolidation and to provide 24/7 coverage as staffing shifts.

Mental‑health response The draft budget includes a request to add a licensed clinical social worker to provide continuity and in‑house coverage for behavioral‑health calls. Staff said the department's existing COAST program has provided successful follow‑up but that grant funding and turnover limited continuity. An in‑house clinical social worker would accompany officers on active mental‑health calls and provide more stable follow‑up than grant‑funded part‑time positions, staff said.

Technology and evidence workflows Police leaders described planned investments in cloud subscriptions and new in‑vehicle and body‑camera tools. The department tested "Draft 1" (Axon’s transcription/AI tool) in pilot runs: officers' body‑camera recordings are transcribed and the tool pre‑populates a draft police narrative, which officers then review and certify. Staff told trustees the tool reduced time spent on report writing in pilots (example use cases cited, non‑arrestable incidents only so far).

Separately, staff described Axon Redact (AI‑assisted redaction) for video, a new in‑car camera capability that scans license plates and flags stolen vehicles automatically, and upcoming translation features for body cameras.

Drone as first responder and canine wellness program Chiefs presented a proposed "drone as first responder" capability: an automated, climate‑controlled drone dock mounted at the police department would dispatch on CAD calls, arrive near a scene within about a minute, and provide live video to officers en route. Staff said existing drone use already supports searches and scene assessments; the proposed system includes redundancies and insurance and is intended to supplement, not replace, officers on scene.

The department also formally introduced "Mira" (comfort canine) as a new public education and wellness resource. The dog will be used in community outreach, school visits and as a therapeutic responder at critical incidents and wellness events for employees; the department said Mira is already beginning training with a vendor that places service/comfort dogs with police departments and veterans.

Budget context The police draft budget presented a year‑over‑year increase in contractual and supplies lines to pay for cloud subscriptions, Axon services, in‑car camera subscriptions and training. The department said many technology costs are recurring subscriptions (moved by staff into a separate cloud/network services account in IT for better tracking). Police staffing increases and tech subscriptions were reflected in the FY25‑26 draft totals presented earlier by finance staff.