VIPD seeks $73.3 million general fund as department cites drops in overtime and progress on consent decree

The Virgin Islands Police Department on Aug. 13 told the Legislature's Committee on Budget, Appropriations and Finance that it will seek the Office of Management and Budget–recommended general fund appropriation of $73,339,967 for fiscal year 2026 while continuing to rely on federal grants and other funds to support operations.

Commissioner Mario M. Brooks, testifying with senior staff, said the department has reduced overtime spending sharply. "At the current rate, we anticipate expending $15,549,930 at the end of fiscal year 2025, which represents a 36% reduction," he said, citing a drop from $24,126,044 in overtime in fiscal 2024 to $13,157,633 year to date in 2025.

Brooks said the department's FY2026 general fund request includes personal services, fringe benefits, supplies and capital outlay and called particular attention to capital projects and grant-funded equipment. He said the VIPD expects $11,714,637 in federal funds and a $3,000,000 appropriation from the territory's tourism advertising revolving fund for tourism-related policing initiatives. "The budget also includes non appropriated funds of $584,314 for the Peace Officers Standard and Training Fund and an additional $11,714,637 anticipated from federal funds," Brooks said.

Why it matters: The department says the overtime reduction both improves fiscal discipline and preserves operational readiness; senators pressed for details about vendor payments, vendor backlog and facility leases that affect where officers work and where evidence and records are kept.

What the department plans and where it is now - Cameras and real-time crime centers: Brooks said the department is finalizing phase 2 of a territorywide camera installation, license-plate readers and additional Pantel Zoom cameras. Kishana Tweed, director of information systems, told the committee she anticipates the camera project will be completed by December 2025 and that phase 2 camera work is in its final stages. - Real-time crime center: Brooks described a multi-site real-time crime center project that will integrate cameras, plate-readers, ShotSpotter and other sensors with a unified map-based interface and said vendors already are building out equipment and furniture. The department plans to start with two centers (one per district) and deploy 40 in-car units in a pilot. Brooks said the vendor has begun build-out and units will be shipped to territory locations. - Fleet and in-car technology: The committee heard that a separate in-car solution contract for vehicle connectivity and e‑citation integration is in force; the contract value is $2,110,249.76 for three years with a one-year option and the first-year installations are underway with a pilot of 40 vehicles.

Staffing, recruitment and training Brooks reported recent hiring and recruitment measures: 15 new civilian hires in FY2025, 17 recruits graduated from the police academy and three auxiliaries converted to full-time officers. He described expanded cadet and youth internship programs and said the department aims to begin another academy class by the end of the calendar year.

Vendor payments and lease commitments Senators probed a multi-million-dollar backlog of vendor payments and lease obligations. VIPD CFO Sandra Webster said the department has submitted allotments and many payments are awaiting release by the Department of Finance; she reported total vendor obligations of approximately $2,000,134,814 across aging bands and said payments are processed as funding becomes available. Brooks and Webster also said the department is negotiating to consolidate leased sites and is developing maintenance plans for temporary leased headquarters and other sites. Brooks said the St. Croix headquarters under construction will allow the VIPD to vacate a deteriorating facility.

Consent decree and monitoring Brooks briefed senators on the department's progress toward compliance with its consent decree and interaction with the independent monitoring team and the U.S. Department of Justice. Brooks said: "The paragraph concerning citizens' complaints remains in compliance and is expected to be removed from the consent decree by March 2026." He said the department expects to complete remaining compliance steps in 2025 and enter a two-year monitoring period for outstanding provisions.

What legislators pressed Senators repeatedly asked about: (1) vendor payments and overdue invoices with Department of Finance; (2) the pace of grant-funded project spending and whether federal grant balances could be at risk if not obligatied; (3) timelines for rolling out vehicle installs and upgrades; and (4) the effect of staffing losses on public safety. Brooks and other VIPD officials said they had made procedural changes, increased supervision of overtime, launched a maintenance plan for cameras, and were in ongoing conversations with OMB and Finance about cash-flow and lease funding.

Ending note: The VIPD emphasized improved fiscal controls and technology investments while acknowledging cash-flow and grant-administration hurdles that require interagency coordination. The department asked the committee and OMB to prioritize vendor payments and funding for critical capital projects so that installations and leases can be completed on schedule.