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New Canaan police chief outlines FY26 capital ask, training and overtime drivers
Summary
At the Jan. 15 New Canaan Police Commission meeting, the police chief presented a proposed FY26 capital request that includes three vehicles and new duty firearms and described operating-budget pressures from contracts, overtime and staffing transitions.
The Town of New Canaan police chief told the Police Commission on Jan. 15 that the department—s FY26 budget proposal includes a capital request that would return the patrol fleet to a regular replacement cycle and fund upgraded duty firearms.
The capital request “will include three new vehicles,” the chief said, and the department plans to resume its regular replacement cycle after recent delivery delays. The chief said the new firearms program will complete a purchase begun last year and that the department has earmarked $60,000 for the remaining duty weapons and associated training.
Why it matters: The capital and operating proposals feed into the town budget the board of selectmen will review. The chief said overtime, contractual salary increases and shift vacancies remain primary drivers of operating-cost growth; he described a net operating increase of about 4.28 percent in the packet provided to commission members.
Details: The chief said the department had received two used vehicles last year for animal control and training purposes and expects to purchase three replacement vehicles this year and four next year to keep the fleet current. He said typical useful life for marked patrol cars is about 80,000–100,000 miles when used heavily and that vehicles beyond that range are generally cycled to secondary roles.
On personnel and overtime, the chief said the department is at a complement of 50 officers and that several newer officers recently completed field training. He said the department is addressing overtime driven by shift shortages and long-term leaves and is entering contract negotiation season with the first selectman and HR to manage contractual cost pressures.
The chief said some operating-line increases in the FY26 packet reflect consolidation of line items with no net budgetary increase; apparent large percentage jumps for certain lines result from those consolidations. He also said training and equipment-related operating costs will increase to support the new duty firearms.
Next steps: The chief said he will present the finalized FY26 numbers to the board of selectmen on Tuesday and will circulate presentation materials to commission members beforehand.
