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Hilliard police request two patrol officers as overtime and obligated time rise
Summary
Police requested two additional patrol positions for 2026 after an internal staffing study; chief said obligated time per call has increased and overtime year-to-date is $282,035.75.
The Hilliard Division of Police told council it is requesting two additional patrol officers in the 2026 operating budget to address increasing obligated time per call and staffing shortfalls.
“...adding 1 on first shift and 1 on second shift for 2026, will help us maintain our service levels,” the police chief said, describing a staffing study that called for an increase. The department proposed a roughly 2% increase in its 2026 budget request to cover personnel and equipment for the new positions.
The chief explained the department’s analysis focused not only on call volume but on the amount of time officers spend on each response — a measure the department described as obligated time. Factors cited by the chief include time to download body-worn camera footage and additional paperwork. “...our obligated time for each call for service is increasing,” the chief said.
Council members pressed for supporting data. One councilmember asked for a copy of the staffing study and for year-to-date overtime figures; staff provided an overtime year-to-date total in the meeting: “The police overtime budget or expenditures year to date is $282,035.75.” The chief said the staffing study initially suggested a need for four additional officers but that practical constraints — hiring, academy availability and field training — mean the department is proposing two officers for 2026 with possible future additions in 2027.
The chief also said the department is continuing to recruit lateral applicants and to use regional training academies; some academies were not taking outside agencies earlier in the year, which affected scheduling. Council members discussed whether adding officers could reduce overtime costs over time.
The chief mentioned planned equipment and contractual costs tied to the request, including outfitting new officers and adding some Flock camera coverage in the western part of the city near the well to aid investigative response. “I won't say there's been an increase in crime... but what it does is it allows us to respond to those incidents ... more efficiently,” the chief said of the cameras.
Why it matters: Additional officers would affect personnel costs and overtime dynamics while aiming to preserve service levels and officer safety during training and retirements.
