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Brentwood Police: staffing shortages slow roll‑out of fifth beat; department seeks data analyst and tech aids
Summary
Police staff reported vacancies and undeployable officers have delayed implementation of a planned fifth patrol beat. The department asked council to consider a crime‑data analyst position and described steps to deploy new camera and license‑plate reader technology.
Brentwood Police Department leadership told the City Council Feb. 4 that staffing shortfalls and officers temporarily out of patrol duties have prevented the planned roll‑out of a fifth patrol beat and that the department is pursuing technology and analytic tools to improve coverage.
Police staff said the department has 72 sworn authorized positions, 66 of which were filled at the time of the workshop; six positions were vacant with three candidates in the hiring pipeline and one recruit currently at an academy. Staff also reported seven officers were temporarily undeployable because of sick leave, on‑the‑job injury or similar reasons. Non‑sworn vacancies included three dispatcher openings; two lateral candidates and an entry recruitment were in process.
Chief staff outlined the hiring path and explained that an entry‑level recruit typically requires an in‑house academy, a 26‑week academy, followed by a field‑training program; the full process from application to solo patrol can take 12–24 months. Lateral hires can be deployed more quickly (estimated 10–12 weeks in best cases).
To augment capacity the department is implementing new technologies: a replacement license‑plate reader and camera product (staff mentioned the Flock platform as a planned replacement) and the Peregrine system recently authorized by council and now in implementation. Staff also said they are assessing red‑light camera feasibility, automated shot detection and artificial intelligence tools that could streamline paperwork, but noted data security and evidentiary chain‑of‑custody requirements mean any AI tools must be siloed in secure systems.
The department proposed adding a dedicated crime analyst position to organize and make the new data actionable for patrol and investigations; that staffing request was described as a mid‑term (FY25‑26) ask. Police leadership also described community engagement increases and said events and outreach have risen in recent years.
Council did not act on new staffing requests at the workshop; the department will return with more detailed staffing and budget proposals during the budget process.
